Michael Jordan's Converse Fastbreak From the 1984 Olympic Trials Is Up For Auction

Before Michael Jordan signed with Nike and Jordan Brand was formed, he was partial to Converse – playing in models like the Pro Leather and Fastbreak during his time at the University of North Carolina and as a member of the 1984 US Olympic basketball team. Now, a pair of Jordan's pre- NBA Converse are available for auction: the pair he wore to team tryouts before the Olympic Games.

Though it's wild to think of these days, Jordan wasn't a lock to make the Olympic team, which, at the time, was made up entirely of college athletes – 1992 was the first time the USA allowed NBA players to compete in the Games. The squad was coached by Indiana University's hard-charging Bobby Knight, who cut Jordan's fellow Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and John Stockton during the tryouts! Jordan showed up with his UNC-issued Converse in hand, and after making the team and playing his way through pre-Olympic exhibition games, he gifted the shoes to the teenage son of the squad's travelling physician.