True sneaker heads are often ridiculed for spending absurd amounts of money on various styles of kicks.
But as we know, sneaker collecting is also a hobby, especially for the rich and famous athletes and rappers who have the monetary means to buy any sneaker they want and also have the public appeal, popularity and connections to have exclusive styles and designs made just for them.
Now we’ve seen sneakers go for thousands of dollars, and some specialty joints even sold for hundreds of thousands on the market.
Most Expensive Sneaker Ever
Enter rap superstar Drake, whose custom-made, 24K gold OVO x Air Jordan 10’s have an estimated worth of $2.1 million.
Gold-plated shoes are not for running, but totally for stunting.
Drake commissioned Matthew Sena to create the exclusive shoe. Sena, an acclaimed mixed media and conceptual artist who’s known for keeping his creative process very close to the vest, created the shoe for rap’s biggest star.
There have been plenty of custom Air Jordan’s made for various celebrities over the years. After all, it is the world’s most famous shoe.
Drake, who is known to do it up excessively, from his gambling to the gifts he bestows upon his loved ones, takes the cake at the top of the list, but there are other custom-made kicks that break the bank, ranging from $16K to just under the $2.1 million that Drake paid for his golden pair.
Air Jordan 1 OG Bred 1985 — $16K
According to nicekicks.com, The Air Jordan 1 “Bred” colorway first released in 1985. Later referred to as the “Banned” Air Jordan 1, as the NBA reportedly fined Jordan for wearing the shoe since it did not meet the league’s uniform policy, as it was not composed of 51 percent white in its design. Nike offered to pick up the fines on Jordan’s behalf and the Air Jordan 1 “Bred” gained notoriety in commercials and even late night talk shows.
The shoe represents Jordan’s arrival as a defiant spirt and someone who would define the future of the game. The league eventually figured out that it could make more money supporting MJ and Nike’s new vision.
Air Jordan 1 Chicago 1985 – $16.72K
The original 1985 Air Jordan 1 Chicago is another classic Air Jordan. MJ rocked the Chicago colorway for most of his groundbreaking rookie season (1984-85), where he immediately established himself as one of the game’s brightest stars, averaging 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 82 games.
The fact that he was chosen to play in his first All-Star game, and won the Rookie of the Year award, makes this shoe design synonymous with his instant and early rise to NBA stardom.
Peep this. The Chicago 1 originally retailed for $64.99. Thirty-nine years later you can imagine how Jordan felt flying through the air in his first season of an iconic career.
Air Jordan 4 Eminem Encore 2017 – $17,238–$19K
Drake isn’t the only iconic rapper that partnered with Nike or had his own pair of Air Jordan’s made. In 2017, Stock X partnered with Eminem to re-launch the 2005 Air Jordan 4 Eminem Encore as part of a Marshall Mathers Foundation charity campaign.
Only 23 pairs were made, which made it one of the most exclusive pairs of sneakers to date. Money alone wouldn’t allow one to purchase the sneakers, which were normally priced at the time. You needed a lot of luck as well.
According to reports, the only way to take home a pair was to donate to the foundation and win a raffle from a pool of eligible donors. Those who won the raffle fell into a fortunate situation that has seen the value of the Air Jordan 4 Eminem Encore 2017 rise to $17,200 or more.
Air Jordan 4 Travis Scott Purple F&F – $23K
Travis Scott is another huge name in the rap industry, with several pair of custom made kicks priced above $20K.
While Air Jordan F&F colorways are usually presented as gifts exclusively to friends and family of the brand and their collaborators, occasionally these sneakers end up on StockX (or other sneaker providers) and go for a grip.
In 2023, Travis Scott’s Air Jordan 4 Travis Scott Purple F&F was resold for $23,000.
Air Jordan 4 Travis Scott Olive F&F — $25K
Air Jordan 4 Travis Scott Olive F&F is another Travis Scott Jordan 4 colorway that continues to rise in price because of its exclusivity.
Sneakers costing five digits is one level of decadence, but they pale in comparison to these game-themed kicks that are also a part of basketball lore. Sneakers with an appeal that’s less about who commissioned or created them, but more about when they were worn and what occurred in those games or historical moments.
Air Jordan 11 ‘Jeter’ – $40,000 and Rising
When sneakers are mass produced the price of the shoe diminishes in value, but when there are only five pieces produced in the world then you end up with a collector’s item with thousands of dollars like the Air Jordan 11 “Jeter.”
Nike made the shoe in 2014, to honor The Yankees captain’s retirement from the game after 20 years, five championship rings and plenty of magical baseball moments throughout his Hall of Fame career.
Jeter’s jersey number (2) sits upon the heel of the sneaker, and anyone who is familiar with the iconic player understands the significance of the number.
Diamond Encrusted Air Force 1 – $50,000
The rap group OutKast has always been known for having a unique fashion sense, a pulse on Southern culture, and an easily recognizable musical delivery.
While Andre 3000 is the member most known for his eccentric and unorthodox fashion and artistic tastes (most recently putting out an instrumental album featuring just flutes) his partner Big Boi stays connected to the styles of the streets and is known as a sneaker and jewelry head.
These exclusive Nike Air Forces were designed by rapper Big Boi and flaunts a full 13 carats of encrusted champagne diamonds and gold accents.
These shoes were created as one of the featured items at a 2007 fundraising event that donated all proceeds of to Big Boi’s philanthropic foundation Big Bois.
Air Jordan Silver Shoe (with autograph) – $60,000
What do you give a man who has everything?
In the case of Michael Jordan’s wife, she gifted these special shoes to MJ for his 32nd birthday.
What makes this Air Jordan Silver shoe so expensive is its uniqueness. It is also very rare, as there were only ten pairs released initially. These shoes are made of solid silver, weighing around 10 pounds and also feature an autograph of the legend himself.
Jordan led the league in scoring that season, averaging 30.4 points per game and won his fourth championship, the first of his second three-peat with the Chicago Bulls.
It was also his first full season since returning to the NBA after a brief season and a half retirement to play minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons.
Diamond Encrusted Reebok Question (Allen Iverson) – $65,000
So, it’s clear that every super expensive sneaker has a story behind it and the personality associated with the sneaker is probably more important than the actual design.
We know Allen Iverson was influential in changing the culture of the NBA and also connecting the hood and corporate. Even as Reebok’s prominence in urban markets faded as the mid-2000s rolled around, Iverson was the perfect athlete to keep Reebok in the game because he had the streets.
At the height of Iverson’s controversial popularity Reebok created these diamond-encrusted sneakers in 2004 in collaboration with the NBA superstar.
The most extravagant feature of this design is the 246 diamonds that shine against an all-black theme, pretty much a representation of what Iverson was to the NBA; a player who was unapologetically all-Black but shined like the brightest diamond when on the court. A few anonymous buyers bought these limited-edition shoes, priced to reflect Iverson’s long-lasting impact on hoops culture.
Air Jordan 12 OVO – $100,000 (Drake edition)
Drake actually has a second pair of exclusive sneakers on this list. Fans can generally buy them for $250, but the special edition Drake shoes naturally increase the price.
Reportedly, a fan of Drake’s was personally gifted these special sneakers at a Toronto Raptors event. She not only got to meet Drake and receive a gift from the music legend, but she flipped those shoes for $100K when she sold them.
Michael Jordan’s Game-Worn Converse Fastbreak – $190,373
It took a pair of Converse worn by MJ during his 1982 NCAA Championship run under legendary North Carolina Tar Heels Coach Dean Smith, to get this sneaker brand on the list.
Vintage is in and naturally after the iconic career that Jordan had as a player and now as a businessman — and his unwavering dedication to Nike — copping a pair of Converse that was once worn by Mr. Nike is an invaluable shoe that will only increase in value.
Air Jordan 12 Flu Game Game Worn – $1.38M
In June of 2023, the original game-worn Air Jordan 12 “Flu Game” shoes, laced and signed by MJ was sold at Goldin Auctions for $1.38M, elevating the shoe into the pantheon of the most expensive Air Jordans ever made or sold at auction.
Jordan’s historic flu game in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, where MJ dragged his team to victory despite fighting a serious illness, (which later was discovered to be food poisoning), is one of the most memorable moments of his incomparable career. It added to the legend of basketball’s most transcendent player.
Jordan personally gifted his Jordan 12s to Delta Center ballboy Preston Truman, who later auctioned the shoes off at a floor price of $5,000 and by the time they were sold the price had skyrocketed to over $104K.
Air Jordan 11 Space Jam Sample – $176,400
In Michael Jordan’s film “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” an unworn and Michael Jordan- autographed Air Jordan 11 Space Jam Sample that was made for the original Space Jam was auctioned off for $176,400.
LeBron’s remake of Jordan’s Space Jam film boosted the mystique around the original shoe and the value of the historic Jordan 11’s proves just how culturally impactful Jordan’s animated film in conjunction with Looney Tunes was.
Two iconic artistic forces in American history coming together to create sneaker history.
Kanye West Nike Air Yeezy Grammy Prototype – $1.8M
The only sneaker that comes close to Drake’s gold-plated OVO’s is the Nike Air Yeezy Prototype. During the 2008 Grammy Awards, Kanye West performed in the unprecedented all-black pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1s.
These shoes, later identified as the Nike Air Yeezy 1 Grammy (Prototype), never ended up releasing which elevated it to one of the most coveted and desired sample sneakers of all time.
Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 shoe, which he wore at the 2008 Grammys, set a new sneaker sale record when it sold for $1.8 million at a private sale at Sotheby’s in 2021.
According to Rolling Stone. “The sneaker investing platform RARES made the purchase, which reportedly broke the record for the most expensive public sale of a sneaker by almost three times (the previous record holder, per Reuters, was a pair of 1985 Air Jordan 1s, designed and worn by Michael Jordan, which sold in 2020 for $560,000).”
The Air Yeezy 1 prototype is also the first recorded sneaker sale for over $1 million. Initially pairs of the Grammy Prototype sold for between $50,000 to $75,00 and over the years with Kanye’s increasing popularity and his association with other brands such as Adidas, the price spiked, setting a new standard.
