A pair of Nike Air Jordan 3 sneakers, originally created for filmmaker Spike Lee, has been found in a donation bin at a shelter and is now up for auction at Sotheby’s, per the NY Post.
The sneakers, valued at over $10,000, were worn by Lee at the 2019 Academy Awards, where he won an Oscar for his screenplay
“BlacKkKlansmen.”
The discovery was made by a formerly homeless man participating in a program at the Burnside Shelter of Portland Rescue Mission, a nonprofit organization.
“Obviously they must be fakes, we thought, because why would the real thing end up in our donation bins?”
said Erin Holcomb, Portland Rescue Mission’s director of human resources, on the nonprofit’s blog.
“But I knew I should perform due diligence before putting the sneakers back on our distribution shelves.”
The shoes were taken to a resale shop in downtown Portland, where its owner explained they were owned by Lee and were
“some of the most rare and collectible shoes on the market.”
Immediately, he offered the woman $10,000 to purchase the items for his store.
Holcomb contacted Sotheby’s who generously offered to sell them without a fee. The current highest bid is $9,500.
To authenticate the shoes, Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, visited the shelter and confirmed their pristine condition.
“I’m thrilled the shoes ended up here,”
Hatfield said in a statement shared by the Portland Rescue Mission.
“It’s a happy ending to a really great project.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
