Sixteen and a half years ago, Preston Truman was a Utah Jazz ball boy, working the visitor’s lockerroom at the Delta Center during the NBA Finals. On Thursday morning, a pair of sneakers he acquired from one special visitor back then made him a media celebrity.
The shoes Truman asked for that June day belonged to Michael Jordan. MJ had just had one of his greatest games ever, overcoming the flu (or food poisoning, depending on who you believe) to score 38 points and lead the Chicago Bulls to a key victory in the fifth game of the 1997 championship series. Truman was a huge MJ fan and knew he’d scored a valuble piece of memorabilia, but he had to intention of turning a quick profit.
He kept the shoes among his most valuable possessions, inside a safe deposit box, for 16 years. Finally, he decided to consign them to Grey Flannel Auctions and early Thursday morning, the auction came to a close with the ‘flu game shoes’ selling for a whopping $104,765.
Truman told KUTV in Salt Lake City he plans to replenish his 401k and pay off debts and says the final selling price was greater than he ever envisioned. Click here to watch the story.
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