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In every sport, there emerges a player who transcends the achievements of their contemporaries and their predecessors to secure the title of greatest of all time. In the realm of basketball, Michael Jordan, the legendary Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer, is widely recognized as the quintessential greatest of all time. His unparalleled electricity while playing the game instilled fear in his opponents and entertained a generation of fans while setting a new benchmark of excellence for all who played against him and all those who followed. In the pantheon of sports memorabilia, few items capture the imagination and the fervor of collectors like those associated with these all-time greats, and Jordan memorabilia has long been among the most desirable and most valuable. Presented here is a piece of historically significant and entirely fresh-to-the-hobby Michael Jordan memorabilia that we are ecstatic to document for the first time: a pair of Nike Air Ship sneakers dating from early in Jordan's iconic rookie season of 1984. Adding to the significance of the offered pair is the incredible provenance which accompanies the sneakers. The shoes have been consigned directly from a former Detroit Pistons ball boy, who served in the role for three seasons between 1983 and 1986. A period Detroit Free Press newspaper article about his role with the team, as well as a copy of one of his team paychecks, is available for viewing on our website. In addition to this exceptional pair, a total of twenty-one additional sneakers are presented in this auction, each originating from our consignor's collection, including shoes worn by Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Robert Parish, and Sidney Moncrief. As most basketball fans and advanced sneaker collectors are aware, Jordan only wore Nike Air Ships for the first part of his rookie campaign. He officially debuted his signature sneaker, the Air Jordan 1, on November 17, 1984, in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. After rotating his footwear for a little over a month, Jordan began exclusively wearing Air Jordan 1s on December 20. Under this timeline, it is possible Jordan wore this pair of Nike Air Ships on either November 7 (Jordan's sixth NBA game) or December 12 (Jordan's 24th NBA game), the dates of the only two road games in which the Bulls faced off against the Pistons before Jordan's permanent footwear switch. Jordan played well in both, scoring 25 points in the first contest and 21 in the second. According to a letter of provenance provided by our consignor detailing the sneakers' history, the shoes originate directly from Jordan. In part: "After the games, especially when working the visitor's locker room, I would ask a player for their shoes. Oftentimes they would say no. But occasionally they would say yes. Once when the Chicago Bulls were in Detroit, I worked their locker room before and after the game and their bench during the game. During pregame and post game, I would help the players, including Michael Jordan, with anything they needed in the locker room and whatever they needed from the bench during the game. In the locker room after the game, I built up the courage to ask Michael Jordan for the shoes he wore during that game. He was on the left side of the locker room changing after the game. He made a joke saying, “What are you going to use them for, to put plants in them?” He was really nice to me and agreed to give me his shoes. I asked him to autograph the shoes and he agreed." This pair of leather white and red Air Ships, which feature "Nike Air" printed on the heel, show evidence of heavy game use, The sneakers have been carefully preserved by our consignor for the past forty years, making them an ideal time machine that instantly transports viewers back to the fall of 1984 as they imagine Jordan running up and down the court in this very pair. As outlined in the above referenced letter of provenance, Jordan has signed each shoe in black ballpoint ink. While the signatures are faint, they are legible under close inspection. Also of note, the left sneaker is a size 13 and the right sneaker is a size 13-1/2. This is in accordance with Jordan's size preference for his game-worn sneakers. Jordan averaged 28.2 points per game during his rookie season and was named Rookie of the Year at season's end. His high-flying antics and prodigious dunks quickly earned him the title "Air Jordan," but as NBA fans soon came to realize, he was not simply a one-dimensional scoring machine. Jordan was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team on nine separate occasions and in 1988 was voted Defensive Player of the Year. Included among his many other honors are five league MVP Awards, fourteen All-Star Game appearances, and three All-Star MVP Awards. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA Championships and also led the United States Basketball team to gold medal victories in the 1984 and 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1996, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. A poll conducted in 2000 by ESPN named Jordan the Greatest Athlete of the Twentieth Century. The world of high-end sports collecting has evolved dramatically since the days of Michael Jordan's entry into the NBA. Items associated with the greatest players of all time routinely command exceptional and record-breaking prices, including a $1.472 million sale in 2021 of Nike Air Ships documented from Jordan's fifth professional career game. While much in the world and the hobbies of both sports and sneaker collecting has changed in the last few years, one thing remains constant: Michael Jordan's legacy to the game of basketball and his position in the hearts and minds of fans and collectors around the world. We are confident that this exceptional and exciting offering will be heavily watched, with one lucky collector adding to their collection a pair of sneakers from the earliest days of one of the greatest careers ever. Full LOA from MEARS. Full LOA from James Spence/JSA (signatures only). Letter of provenance from our consignor. Opening Bid $100,000.