The most expensive basketball shoes in the world today are limited or out-of-production models from Air Jordan and Nike.
Basketball shoes are at the top of the heap when it comes to sneakers and tennis shoe-styled footwear because basketball is such a competitive sport and now days the shoes must be equally competitive. It wasn’t always so though, as 30 years ago Converse sneakers ruled all of the basketball courts in the U.S., and they were all pretty low-tech compared to the basketball shoes offered today. Of course, today’s basketball shoes have had those same three decades to mutate and evolve into what have turned out to be sometimes highly-technical footwear with equally high prices. Features like air or gel insoles to reduce the impacts of jumping and running, and designs to better help support a player’s ankle motions and overall flexibility are now taken for granted in basketball shoes. The fact that basketball shoes can also be very expensive these days is also often taken for granted. Historic and collectible basketball shoes can be even more expensive, but not by too much as the retail prices for new basketball shoes today are undeniably high across the board. The three most expensive basketball shoes in the world today are obviously very collectible.
The Air Jordan I’s might be the most expensive basketball shoes in the world right now at $25,000 a pair. The original Air Jordans came in three models and the first all red and black design was banned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for violating league rules stating that all basketball shoes must have some white color on them. The second model Air Jordans came in a red, black and white combination and the third version were black and metallic gold and the company only made 12 pair worldwide back in 1985 and those limited production black and gold models now cost $25,000, making them the most expensive basketball shoes in the world today.
The second most expensive basketball sneakers in the world are currently the Nike Air Mags at $12,000 per pair. The Air Mag design was first spotted on Michael J. Fox in the hit 1989 movie Back to the Future and Nike only made a very limited production run of 20 pair of them. The Air Mags are rarely seen on anyone in public today and most are thought to be in the possession of shoe collectors. Coming in at two thousand dollars less than the Air Mags, the Air Jordan V’s are the third most expensive basketball shoes at the bargain price of $10,000 per pair. The Air Jordan V was the first basketball shoe to feature lace locks to allow the user to more easily lace the shoe and they also featured a unique clear sole. The black and metallic silver Air Jordan V’s produced back in 1990 that included the number 23 printed on the back of them now cost $10,000 a pair if you can find them. Although, considering the sky-high prices of these three most expensive basketball shoes in the world, perhaps not finding any of them would be better for your long-term financial health and stability.