Eleven pairs of Nike sneakers worn by NBA legend Michael Jordan are up for auction from Thursday, including a set that could smash the record for sports shoes. The highlight of the online sale is the Air Jordan 1 High that the NBA megastar wore during a 1985 exhibition match in Italy, where he dunked the ball so hard that it smashed the glass backboard into thousands of pieces.

A piece of glass is still lodged in the sole of the left shoe. "It was an iconic moment in the history of sport," said Caitlin Donovan, head of handbag and sneaker sales at Christie's, the organisers of the auction with Stadium Goods.