Manu Ginobili's signed, game-worn Nikes score big at auction

Top bid throwback: a signed, game-used pair of Manu Ginobili Nike Air Uptempo player-exclusive sneakers worn by the Spurs star 20 years ago. (Courtesy Goldin) When is a Manu Ginobili autograph worth more than $9,000? When it's Sharpie'd on a pair of shoes the Spurs great wore 20 years ago.A twice-signed pair of Ginobili game-used Nike Air Uptempo Pro player exclusive sneakers recently sold at auction at Goldin for $9,394. The winning bid clocked in at $7,700, but the price spikes with the buyer's premium fee at 22% of the final bid price. The player-exclusive Manu Ginobili Nike Air Uptempos feature the Spurs star's autograph and jersey number. Ginobili wore the sneakers for two games in 2006. (Courtesy Goldin) Manu Ginobili signed the toebox of both sneakers. (Courtesy Goldin) The black kicks with the silver swoosh feature Ginobili's signature monogram "MG" logo on the tongue and his jersey No. 20 on the heels. Ginobili signed each sneaker inside the toebox with silver ink.Of course, that was after he laced them up for a couple of West Coast wins in 2006. Gotta be the Manu shoes. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images) The sneakers were photo-matched to two games Ginobili played with the Spurs in Los Angeles at what was then called the Staples Center: a 98-87 win against the Clippers on March 28 and a 96-85 win against the Lakers two nights later.ZOUNDS:Texan pulls Spurs star Dylan Harper's rookie card valued at nearly $3 million Spurs great Manu Ginobili handles the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 28, 2006, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Two decades later, the shoes he wore for the game would sell for $9,000. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images) Spurs star Manu Ginobili puts up a shot as the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, Lamar Odom (7), and Brian Cook, right, guard during the first half of the NBA basketball game March 30, 2006, in Los Angeles. Ginobili wore the same shoes as he did two nights prior against the Clippers. (MARK J. TERRILL/AP) In the Clippers game, Ginobili scored eight points with a game-high nine assists and three steals. Against the Lakers, he racked up 11 points, four assists, a couple of rebounds and a game-high three steals.The shoes have the wear to show it. According to the auction description, the Nikes sported game use and aging, including creasing, emblem yellowing, loose stitching and scuff marks.The sold sneakers came with a MeiGray letter of authenticity confirming game use and Beckett letters of authenticity for the signatures. No word if they also came with a pair of Sneaker Balls.SubscribeThere’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Manu Ginobili's signed, game-worn Nikes score big at auction.