A rare pair of shoes that Shohei Ohtani wore during the 2025 Tokyo Series is now on the block, sparking anticipation that it could become the most expensive baseball footwear ever sold.
The New Balance Ohtani 1 sneakers bear the athlete’s distinctive Japanese Kanji signature and a subtle illustration of his canine companion Decoy, turning the shoes into a collector’s artifact that marks Ohtani’s debut in a Major League Baseball game on Japanese soil.
Historical sales benchmarks
Previous high‑profile sales set a steep bar: Judy Garland’s ruby slippers fetched $32.5 million in 2024, while Michael Jordan’s “Dynasty Collection” shoes realized $8.03 million and his “Flu Game” pair changed hands for $1.38 million. Kobe Bryant’s “Achilles Game” sneakers sold for $660,000 in 2023, providing a concrete reference point for the value Ohtani’s shoes might command.
Scott Keeney, founder and CEO of The Realest, describes the Ohtani sneakers as the most significant baseball footwear to hit the market, emphasizing their cultural resonance and the unique confluence of baseball legacy, Japanese sports history, and sneaker culture.
Expert perspective
Keeney further notes that the shoes represent a museum‑level asset, suggesting they may never re‑enter the open market, and highlights Ohtani’s global stature alongside NBA icon LeBron James as a driver of memorabilia demand.
The shoes’ provenance is bolstered by the symbolic weight of the Tokyo Dome venue and the fact that they are only the third Ohtani item signed in Kanji, a rarity that collectors prize. Even as Ohtani remains in the prime of his career, his autographed memorabilia continues to command premium prices, underscoring his dual impact on the field and on popular culture.