In the waning seconds of his first match-up against the North Carolina Tar Heels — Zion Williamson saw his night over with after his Nike show exploded and he limped off the court into the locker room and wouldn’t be seen for a few games.
The Duke Blue Devils blown-out shoe, a piece of torn rubber and synthetic leather, may have looked absolutely worthless at the time, but it has significant value.
This particular Duke-specific Nike PG 2.5 has been estimated to be worth $250,000, according to auctioneer Ken Goldin.
“It’s definitely a six-figure, iconic piece. It is the most famous pair of sneakers in the world,” Golden told TMZ in a recent interview. “If it ever went up for auction, it would be a fight between Nike and a collector. … This is something that was nationally televised, very famous and before he became a pro. It happened on a national stage. It does not get bigger than that. … It would not surprise me if it topped $250,000.”
TMZ claimed the shoe is missing, so when they spotted Zion walking recently, they asked him about it:
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NCAA stories via Google! Follow Us
“Zion smiled and told us, “Uh, ask coach about ’em.”
So, we did! We hit up the Duke athletic dept., and a rep told us they have no idea where the shoes ended up.
Next call was to Nike — maybe they have the shoe, right?
A Nike rep told us, “I don’t have any information [on the location of the shoe].”
The Duke freshman is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Before he gets to that moment, his Blue Devils are still pursuing a national championship in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
