Spike Lee is a part of pop culture, and some may even argue that he is pop culture. From his deep connection to the sports realm and his super fandom of the New York Knicks, to the cinematic avenue with his countless timeless classic, entertaining, and mildly educational movies, Spike represents iconic culture.
So it’s no secret that some of his memorabilia would cost a pretty penny. But when you mix his signature memorabilia, with arguably the most successful modern-day shoe brand, you’re getting a recipe for financial success.
This time around it came in the form of some very rare Jordan sneakers, an edition especially made for and worn by Spike Lee himself.
According to The Associated Press, an Oregon homeless shelter found an anonymous donation of a rare pair of Jordans that were the same edition as those custom-made for Spike Lee. Those shoes were auctioned off for the Portland Rescue Mission auction on Monday at Sotheby’s.
The shoes in question are a pair of Gold Air Jordan 3s like those made for Spike Lee, and he wore the same type of shoe in 2019 when he went to accept his Oscar award for his movie “BlacKkKlansman.”
The shoes sold for $50,800, which is more than double the anticipated amount for the rare shoe.
But although these weren’t the exact pair worn by Lee himself, the shoes are extremely rare, and only a handful were designed and made by renowned Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, who designed the shoes for Lee and a few people in his inner circle.
Hatfield was also the person who stopped by to verify the authenticity of the shoes. Nike’s headquarters are in Oregon, which is not too far from the shelter.
“In the last five minutes it went up and up, and every time we saw that number increase, tears and people clapping,” Erin Holcomb, director of staff ministries at the Portland Rescue Mission, told The Associated Press.
Who knew that some sneakerhead out there would inadvertently become a philanthropist while attempting to acquire these legendary shoes?
The proceeds from the auction will be going towards providing services for the homeless shelter in Oregon that helps provide plenty of amenities to the homeless in the area. Services that they provide are food, access to bathrooms and showers, health care, employment resources, and housing.
According to Holcomb, it serves around 6,000 people, and 300,000 meals a year.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Holcomb said. “The generosity of this moment has been a huge celebration for our whole organization.”
The person who donated the shoes remains unknown, and while Spike Lee presumably had no involvement in this, he probably has some gratification that a pair of his signature shoes went to a good cause.
