Will the real sneakerhead please stand up? Please stand up? Please stand up?
Eminem is auctioning off more than 100 pairs of his sneakers, including some of his collaborations with Jordan Brand and other personal favorites from Puma and adidas. Each pair is signed by the rap superstar himself. Eminem announced the auction in an Instagram collab post
on Tuesday, July 28 with Julien's Auctions, the company that will be hosting the sale.The auction, which will take place on Aug. 25, has 117 lots each with a pair of sneakers and the original box. The sale is being billed as the Marshall Mathers Foundation Auction because proceeds will benefit the rap icon's charity based off his given name that benefits underprivileged youth in his hometown of Detroit.
The sale is the largest of Eminem's personal collection to be offered to the public. It commemorates 20 years of Slim Shady's ties with sneaker culture, starting in 2006 when he released a Nike Air Max collection for charity to honor his late friend and D12 member Proof.
“Marshall has always expressed his personal style through his sneakers, and he has amassed quite a collection throughout the years,” Paul Rosenberg, Eminem's longtime manager and business partner as President of Shady Records said in a statement. “We are excited to offer an opportunity to own a piece of his personal collection - including some grails - while supporting the cause that is so meaningful to him.”
Among the sneakers that will be part of the auction is a pair of Air Jordan 3 "Slim Shady" PE that were created for Eminem's Super Bowl 56 performance in 2022. The Detroit icon made headlines when he took a knee after his rendition of "Lose Yourself" in support of Dr. Dre. Many thought it was a sign of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and others who protested the national anthem during NFL games to raise awareness about police brutality.
The sneakers aren't being promoted as the exact ones that he wore for the performance, but are one of the promotional pairs. They are expected to be the most expensive pair of the group and sell for between $25,000 and $35,000. It was previously thought that only 10 pairs exist, but a press release says there were 25 pairs produced. The Jordan 3s feature a white base with Jordan Brand's famous elephant print on the front and back of each sneaker. The left shoe has Eminem's signature backwards E on the tongue in place of the Jumpman logo and the heel has a rubber patch of a "Hi my name is" sticker with "Slim Shady" scribbled on it.
Other sneakers in the auction include a pair of Eminem's super exclusive black Air Jordan 4s that were a collaboration with Carhartt (only 10 pairs were previously released to the public), a pair of the 2017 blue Air Jordan 4 "Encore" sneakers (only 23 pairs were made as a friends and family release), a pair of black Puma Tsugi Kori sneakers with an ankle sock-like lining and a pair of Puma Palace Guard OG Retro in the red and blue Detroit Pistons colorway.
Slim Shady is a longtime supporter of his local professional sports teams. In 2017, he performed at the Pistons' game christening Little Caesars Arena. This spring, he sat courtside with 50 Cent at the venue for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. He is also an investor in the Motor City's WNBA team, which is expected to start play back in Detroit in 2029. As a football fan, Eminem opened the festivities for the NFL draft in 2024 and also cheered on the Detroit Lions in person during their historic playoff run earlier that year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eminem's sneakers, including Super Bowl 56 Air Jordan 3s, going up for auction
