Ball boy to sell Jordan’s ‘Flu Game’ shoes
SALT LAKE CITY — A former Utah Jazz ball boy is selling Michael Jordan’s shoes from his famous “Flu Game” during the 1997 NBA Finals.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Preston Truman kept the shoes in a safe-deposit box at a Utah bank for 15 years.
Truman, now 35, says he first befriended Jordan by running through the halls of the Salt Lake City arena to get Jordan his pregame applesauce.
When the Chicago Bulls came back for the finals months later, Truman had more applesauce waiting for Jordan.
Jordan was so impressed that after the game he offered Truman the shoes, with a signature.
Auction officials say they verified the shoes were authentic.
Earlier this year, Jordan’s former personal trainer, Tim Grover, said it was food poisoning, not the flu, that affected the former Bulls star during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. He suggested Jordan was poisoned. Whatever the cause, Jordan was so weak in the game that he seemed to collapse into the arms of teammate Scottie Pippen at one point.
Grey Flannel Auctions says it will auction them online Nov. 18. Bidding begins at $5,000.