A pair of basketball shoes worn by US basketball star Michael Jordan have sold for a record price at a Las Vegas auction

Jordan wore the pair of Nike Air Ships during his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls in 1984.

The shoes were what founded the iconic partnership between Jordan and Nike – now a signature global brand.

The sale also marks the highest price ever paid for game-worn footwear of any sport, easily beating out the previous record of $615,000 paid for a pair of Nike Air Jordan’s in 2020.

The price still falls short of the most expensive sneakers ever sold.

Recent sales are just the beginning of rare shoe market that’s beginning to soar.

In April, rapper Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes sold for $1.8 million at a private sale.

The record price for sneakers has been broken several times in recent years, and the market is now considered much more niche than ever before, attracting interest from leading collectors as well as the general public.

One of the biggest coaches in the NFL has resigned for misogynistic and anti-gay language in emails before he was appointed coach of the Las Vegas Raiders

According to The New York Times, Jon Gruden sent emails to Bruce Allen, the then President of the Washington Football Team, and others during a seven-year period that ended in 2018.

Gruden emailed Allen that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should not have pressured then-Rams coach Jeff Fisher to draft “queers,” referring to a former player who was gay.

The Times also reported that Gruden used an anti-gay slur in several instances while referring to Goodell, and used offensive language to describe some owners, coaches and media members who cover the league.

Gruden also denounced the emergence of women as referees in his emails, according to The Times, and said that Eric Reid, who kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, should be fired.

He has apologised for his “insensitive remarks” and said “sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone” in a statement on Monday local time

A Saudi Arabian led consortium has completed a £300 million takeover of Newcastle United, 18 months after it was proposed to the Premier League

Saudi Arabia now owns an 80% stake in Newcastle United. David and Simon Reuben, British property developers, and PCP Capital Partners, based in Dubai, each own 10%.

“All parties have agreed the settlement is necessary to end the long uncertainty for fans over the club’s ownership,” a Premier League statement said.

“The Premier League has now received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club.”

Yasir al-Rumayyan, Governor of the 500 billion USD Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), will be a director, and The Guardian has reported Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi played a key role in securing the takeover.

Amanda Stavely, a British businesswoman and partner in PCP Capital Partners, will also be on the board of directors.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s CEO, released a statement saying the takeover must prompt changes to the ownership rules in English football to stop ‘sportswashing’ by foreign governments.

“The closed-door trial of Jamal Khashoggi’s alleged killers was widely perceived to be a part of a wider whitewash by the authorities, and Saudi Arabia is accused of a catalogue of crimes under international humanitarian law during the long-running conflict in Yemen,” Deshmukh said.

“Instead of allowing those implicated in serious human rights violations to walk into English football simply because they have deep pockets, we’ve urged the Premier League to change their owners’ and directors’ test to address human rights issues.”

Hatice Cengiz, the widow of Slain Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has called the takeover “horrifying”.

Khashoggi was a fierce critic of the Saudi government and Crown Price Mohammed Bin Salman before his 2018 murder in the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey.

Mike Ashley bought Newcastle United for £137 million in 2007 from Freddy Shepherd and Sir John Hall.