The Flu Game

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Lore & Background

With 25 seconds left, Jordan made a go-ahead basket, though the Bulls still needed to hold off the Jazz to secure the win.

In Their Own Story

After the game, Michael Jordan gave the signed shoes to Utah Jazz's ball boy Preston Truman. The ball boy asked Jordan, 'Are you doing anything with your shoes after the game?' Jordan asked, 'Why, you want them?' Truman told Jordan he would be honored. Truman held onto the shoes for fifteen years, keeping them in a Utah bank safe deposit box. He claims to have turned down an offer for US$11,000. In 2013, Truman offered the shoes for sale through Grey Flannel Auctions, and the bidding began at US$5,000 before realizing a sale price of US$104,765. The sale price of the shoes was a record price for game worn shoes at the time. On June 14, 2023, the shoes were auctioned for a second time, this time on the auction site Goldin. The bidding was started at US$500,000; after two weeks on the auction site, the price exceeded US$1,000,000. The shoes eventually realized a sale price of US$1.38 million. Another pair of Michael Jordan's game worn shoes, called the 'Last Dance shoes', sold for US$2.238M. The shoes were also previously owned by Preston Truman.

Did You Know?

• Michael Jordan played 44 minutes in Game 5 despite being ill.
• Jordan finished the game with 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
• The shoes were stored in a Utah bank safe deposit box for 15 years.
• The ball boy, Preston Truman, turned down an offer of US$11,000 for the shoes.
• The shoes sold for US$1.38 million at auction in June 2023.