NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s announced From the Archive – a new online sales series dropping five pieces of rare memorabilia and collectibles spanning sports, film, music and fashion in dedicated, single-lot sales, opening every day from 20 – 24 July.

The series is led by LeBron James’s ‘King James’ Game-Worn 2013-2014 Season Miami Heat Jersey (estimate $150/200,000). Worn during the legendary January 2014 ‘Nickname Game’, the present jersey represents the first time James wore this moniker on court, and one of only a handful of times he ever wore a jersey with his nickname.

The first auction opens for bidding today, with consecutive auctions opening every day through 24 July. Each sale closes 7 days after opening.

Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Director of eCommerce Development, commented: “We have an incredible week of drops lined up, with each item speaking to a different area of contemporary culture, ranging from sports to film and music. The rarity of the pieces is spectacular, kicking off with the famous ‘King James’ jersey that perfectly captures LeBron’s unquestionable legacy as one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sports. The remarkable game-worn jersey comes from the legendary Nickname Game that is fondly remembered by so many basketball fans today. Following the tremendous sale of Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan 1s in May, we are excited to offer each of the five sales in the series without reserve, with bidding starting at just $1. We look forward to the response these incredible collectibles will receive from collectors around the world.”




LEBRON JAMES’S ‘KING JAMES’ GAME-WORN 2013-2014 SEASON MIAMI HEAT JERSEY
20 – 27 JULY
Marking the first time LeBron James wore his nickname “King James” on the court, James wore this jersey on January 10, 2014 at the Barclays Center while playing for the Miami Heat against the Brooklyn Nets, in what is referred to as the legendary “Nickname Game” – the first time the NBA debuted the Name Collection jerseys, featuring players wearing their best known monikers and initials on the back of their jerseys (estimate $150/200,000). James wore his nickname on court in only a handful of other instances. During the game, various players from both teams wore custom nickname jerseys, including Kevin Garnett wearing “Big Ticket”, Ray Allen wearing “J. Shuttlesworth” and Paul Peirce wearing “Truth”. All 15 players on the Heat wore nickname jerseys. While wearing this historic jersey, James scored 36 points and had 5 assists against the Brooklyn Nets.

KANYE WEST NIKE AIR YEEZY SAMPLE
21 – 28 JULY
A pristine pair of ‘sample’ prototype Nike Air Yeezys in Zen Grey/Neon, designed by Kanye West and Mark Smith will drop on 21 July (estimate $12/15,000). The size nine shoes still have their sample hang tags on, and were produced in December 2008 in Nike’s Feng Tay factory, prior to their general release in April 2009. The Nike Air Yeezy stormed into pop culture when Kanye West premiered them at his 2008 Grammy Awards performance of Stronger and Hey Mama. In the years following, West famously collaborated with Nike for a wide variety of Air Yeezy releases. The original Nike Air Yeezy models remain a critical part of the history of sneaker collaborations.

NIKE MAG ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’ FROM 2011
22 – 29 JULY
Coinciding with the 35th Anniversary of Back to the Future (1985), a pair of exceptionally rare Nike MAG ‘Back to the Future’ sneakers from 2011, dual signed by actor Michael J. Fox will drop on 22 July (estimate $30/50,000). Worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II, the once-fictional sneaker was released by Nike in 2011, and became one of the most coveted sneaker releases in history. Nike created only 1,500 pairs, which were exclusively offered at auction that year to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. In the film, Marty time travels to the year 2015, and famously turns on his Nike MAGs featuring self-tie ‘power laces’. This scene became iconic in the history of footwear, inspiring multiple Nike releases including the Nike MAG (2011), Nike MAG (2016), the Nike Adapt Mag (2019), among others. While the 2011 version did not include the self-lacing technology as seen in the movie, it included light-up features on the strap, heel and midsole.

MICHAEL JORDAN’S GAME-WORN, AUTOGRAPHED 2001-2002 WASHINGTON WIZARDS JERSEY
23 – 30 JULY
Following our record-breaking sale of Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan 1s in May 2020, Sotheby’s continues to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of the basketball sensation with Michael Jordan’s game-worn, autographed jersey from Jordan’s first season with the Wizards in 2001 - 2002, featuring Jordan’s signature in silver marker across the ‘2’ on the chest on 23 July (estimate $50/70,000). In September 2001, Jordan came back from his second retirement and announced that he would return to NBA to play with the Washington Wizards. During his time with the Wizards, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history - a record that only LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have since broken. On December 29, 2001, Jordan scored 51 points against the Charlotte Hornets to become the oldest player in NBA history to reach the 50-point threshold in a game. By the time Michael Jordan retired, he was a six-time NBA champion, a six-time NBA Finals MVP, a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time All-Star, a three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, a 10-time scoring champion, and a two-time Slam Dunk Contest Champion. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, among the highest civilian awards in the United States.

2004 NIKE ‘JEDI’ DUNKS SIGNED BY MARK HAMILL
24 – 31 JULY
Released in 2004, these rare Nike ‘Jedi’ dunks pay tribute to the Star Wars character Yoda and feature an exceptionally rare signature: the left shoe is signed by actor Mark Hamill as ‘Luke Skywalker’, and the right shoe features Hamill’s signature (estimate $15/20,000). The present example is on offer from the famed collection of Jordan Geller, who recently broke the world auction for a pair of sneakers with Michael Jordan’s game-worn and signed Air Jordan 1s, which achieved $560,000 at Sotheby’s this May. The pair imitates Yoda's green skin and ragged attire, and the laces, tongue and heel are all neon-green, which references the iconic use of light sabers in the film. Yoda was a Jedi Master who trained Luke Skywalker (portrayed by Mark Hamill) in the 1980 smash hit, The Empire Strikes Back.