Drake Night: Shoes that seller says she won at Raptors game, going for $99,900 on eBay
The shoes handed out by the rapper Drake at last weekend’s Raptors game could make two lucky fans doubly blessed — first with the gift, and later with cash.
Two pairs of Drake-designed iconic Air Jordans were given away by the team’s “global ambassador” to two fans at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night during the Raptors-Nets game.
By Tuesday afternoon, a black pair, which the seller claimed to win from Drake, had the highest bid of $100,000 on eBay. The white pair was posted slightly later and had a bid for over $95,000. Several days were left in the auction for both pairs.
During the halftime show, Drake gave a pair of white shoes to a fan, proclaiming “you’re the only one with them.”
He gave a black pair to a young woman, saying “these are definitely not going to fit you, but hopefully you could give them to somebody or keep them as a keepsake.”
The sellers say the shoes are “unreleased promo sample Drake OVO Air Jordan Retro 10s.”
Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum, said she wasn’t surprised by the price to possess a shoe associated with Drake.
The shoes haven’t been publicly released, they have a slick design, and these pairs have provenance, said Semmelhack, who curated the museum’s “Out of the box: the rise of sneaker culture” exhibit on now.
There’s an established, intimate relationship between basketball, hip-hop, basketball, celebrity and fashion, she said, adding Kanye West shoes designed in collaboration with Nike went for around $90,000 last year.
“The fact it was a personal gift from Drake himself ups the ante. Clearly ups the ante to $100,000.”
But when it comes to authenticity, buyers must beware.
“Given the global nature of our marketplace, we do not authenticate items. We require that sellers make sure that their items are authentic before listing them on eBay and encourage buyers to contact sellers directly if they have questions about the listing,” said a company statement.
Free Drake inspired shirtsgiven out to all 19,800 ticket holders that night werebeing sold anywhere from $75 to $200 online.
Raptor fan Alan Vale received an autographed pair of shoes from point guard Kyle Lowry this week, but swore he would not sell them on eBay.
