A pair of MICHAEL JORDAN's game-worn sneakers sold at auction for $190,373 on Sunday, setting a record for game-used shoes. The Converse shoes were said to be used by the former NBA player in the Gold Medal game against Spain in the 1984 L.A. Olympics, according to ESPN. Jordan's shoes from the 1984 Games "are autographed and include his orthotic inserts." They are considered "the last pair Jordan wore in a game as an amateur and also the last time he wore Converse in an official game" (REUTERS, 6/11). ... Man City Manager PEP GUARDIOLA called on the int'l community to "support a referendum on Catalan independence that Spain's government considers illegal." Guardiola read a manifesto at a rally of "several thousand supporters of Catalan independence" who gathered at a fountain in Barcelona on Sunday (AP, 6/11). ... ERROL CHRISTIE, "one of the most talented boxers from Britain in the past 50 years," died at the age of 53 "after a lengthy battle against lung cancer." Christie never won a professional title, but was "one of the country's most decorated amateurs" -- with 10 national titles -- and the "subject of a bidding war between promoters when he turned professional at 19" (LONDON TIMES, 6/12).
WILD CARD SEQUEL?: Tennis player MARCUS WILLIS "has a message for Wimbledon -- give me a wild card and I can give you more headlines." The story "still seems too unlikely to be true." The tennis player, who was "about to give up," was persuaded to carry on by the girlfriend he met at a concert and came through seven matches to play ROGER FEDERER on Centre Court. A Wimbledon committee will decide all of this year's wild cards on June 20 (London TELEGRAPH, 6/12).
