A rare pair of trainers worn by Michael Jordan during his rookie season have sold for a record $615,000 at auction ©Christie's

A pair of Michael Jordan's Nike trainers have sold for a record $615,000 (£475,000/€520,000) at an online auction organised by Christie's and Stadium Goods which raised nearly a million dollars.

It beat the previous highest amount for a pair of Jordan trainers of $560,000 (£430,000/€475,000) sold at Sotheby's in May.

That was an auction record for any pair of athletics shoes but the interest in Jordan, fuelled by Netflix and ESPN documentary series The Last Dance earlier this year, helped eclipse that figure when the sale ended today. 

The Air Ship sneaker was worn by Jordan in 1984 before the launch of his signature Air Jordan 1 model.

Jordan only wore the pair during pre-season and early games of his rookie year, making them extremely rare. 

As with most of Jordan’s game-worn shoes, the left shoe is a US size 13.5 and the right a US size 13.

The pair of trainers came from a former New Jersey Nets equipment manager, Christie's revealed.

The trainers were worn by Jordan during a match in Trieste in Italy, playing for the local Stefanel team in an event organised by NIke. 

Jordan scored 30 points in the match and shattered the backboard so hard, that one of the tiny shards of glass is still lodged in the sole of the left shoe.

Also sold in the Christie's auction were a pair of the "Olympic" Air Jordan 7s he wore during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where as a member of the United States' "Dream Team" he won the second of his gold medals.

They were given to a receptionist at the Ambassador Hotel in the Spanish city where the US basketball team stayed during the Olympics. 

They realised a price of $112,500 (£86,100/€95,250), which like all the items sold at the auction included the buyer's premium.

Other popular items included a pair of Air Jordan 1 which sold for $62,500 (£48,000/€53,000).

Designed by Peter Moore, the name "Air Jordan" was coined by Jordan’s agent David Falk, because at the time, Nike had just developed its new air cushioning technology, and Jordan plays basketball "in the air".

A pair of trainers Michael Jordan wore the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and given to a receptionist at the team hotel sold for $112,500 during an auction that raised nearly a million dollars ©Christie's
A pair of trainers Michael Jordan wore the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and given to a receptionist at the team hotel sold for $112,500 during an auction that raised nearly a million dollars ©Christie's

Another pair of Jordan trainers sold for $56,250 (£43,000/€47,500) as the nine items auctioned raised a total of $931,875 (£713,214€788,845). 

A pair of classic Jordan 14s worn during practice for his final Bulls appearance in 1998 fetched $21,250 (£16,250/€18,000).

Christies had described the online auction as "the most comprehensive sneaker record of Michael Jordan’s era-defining Chicago Bulls career".

"Put simply, Michael Jordan and his signature line of footwear set the foundation for modern basketball and the worldwide phenomenon of sneaker collecting," Christie's said.

Besides the collection of shoes worn during his basketball career, a pair of baseball cleats Jordan wore in 1994 when playing for the Double-A Birmingham Barons, an affiliate Chicago White Sox, sold for $8,750 (£7,000/€7,500).