The auction house Sotheby’s put up for auction this Monday the Scottie Pippen collection, among which several objects from the United States ‘Dream Team’ in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games stand out, such as Michael Jordan’s sneakers, a Larry Bird t-shirt and several Chicago Bulls kits.
Sotheby’s is offering a total of 71 items from the personal collection of six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen in auctions that began on March 2 and will close on March 10. A collection of more than 6 million dollars is expected.
One of the most notable pieces are the shoes used and signed by Michael Jordan, for many the best basketball player ever, in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic final, in which the famous American ‘Dream Team’ won the gold medal.
The sneakers are valued between $1.5 and $2.5 million, and the starting bid starts at $500,000.
Another piece of high value is the shirt worn and signed by Larry Bird in the last game of the group stage of those JJ. OO. in which they faced Spain.
The United States basketball team won all eight games in that tournament, all of them by a margin of more than 30 points, and was remembered as one of the best teams in the history of sports.
Also notable among the collection is Scottie Pippen’s own kit in the Gold match against Croatia and the US team jacket worn by Arkansas during the medal ceremony.
«One of the greatest achievements of my career was being part of the ‘Dream Team’ of 1992. It was the opportunity to play with athletes I idolized, from the best blocker, the best rebounder or the best scorer. “It was the best team ever,” Pippen describes about those JJs. OO. from Barcelona.
Scottie Pippen was Michael Jordan’s great teammate on the Chicago Bulls. Together they won 6 NBA rings (1991-1993 consecutively and 1996-1998 consecutively) and in the last three championships they won they formed an unstoppable trident with Dennis Rodman.
Among Pippen’s other achievements, he was a seven-time ‘All-Star’, twice Olympic Gold with the USA and scored more than 20,000 points in the NBA, which helped him enter the Hall of Fame.
Rings T-shirts with Chicago Bulls
«The finals jerseys, especially for American collectors, are very important, as well as the ‘Dream Team’ Olympic Games kits in Barcelona. Collectors will go crazy for all of them,” Sotheby’s representatives explained.
Sotheby’s is putting up for auction 4 jerseys from different NBA finals in which Jordan and Pippen’s Bulls won the ring. While the one from 1992 goes more unnoticed, those from 1996, 1997 and 1998 take on special relevance, each of these three with a minimum estimated price of around $200,000.
The 1997 finals kit is from the duel known as the ‘flu game’, which Michael Jordan led with 44 points despite suffering from food poisoning, while the 1998 kit is from the ‘Last Dance’ season. In 1996, the Bulls had their best regular season to date, with a 72-10 record.
Among other items up for auction are signed basketballs, replicas of NBA trophies, cereal boxes with illustrations of the Chicago Bulls, chairs with drawings of the team and colorful kits from the ‘All-Star’ games, among which the one from 1994 stands out, when he was elected MVP of the game.
(With a report from Jan Téllez Asensio, from EFE)
