A Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $14 million, which Yahoo Sports reports makes it the most expensive piece of basketball memorabilia ever sold. The red Chicago Bulls road jersey, signed by Jordan and worn in Game 2 against the Utah Jazz, changed hands in a private sale handled by Hunt Auctions.
Hunt Auctions named real estate investor Ron Firman as the buyer. Per the report, a private collector bought the jersey straight from the Bulls in 2003, and it had passed to a new owner only once before this deal.
The game behind the jersey
Jordan wore the jersey on June 5, 1998, when the Bulls beat the Jazz 93-88 to level the Finals at one win each. He scored 37 points in the game, according to Yahoo Sports.
Chicago went on to win the series in six games. It was Jordan's sixth and final championship with the Bulls, and that 1997-98 season later became the focus of the documentary series The Last Dance.
A run of eight-figure sales
Yahoo Sports notes this is the third jersey from that Finals to sell for at least $10 million. Jordan's Game 1 jersey went for about $10.1 million in 2022. His Game 3 jersey sold for about $12.3 million last month, per the report. The Game 2 sale now sits above both.
The jersey is not the most valuable game-worn jersey overall. That mark belongs to Babe Ruth's New York Yankees jersey from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, tied to his famed called shot, which sold for $24.12 million in 2024.
Why it matters
Three jerseys from one series have now reached eight figures, which suggests collectors are paying for the specific games of Jordan's last title run, not just his name. Nearly three decades on, that final championship season still commands a premium. The sources do not say whether further jerseys from the series are expected to come to market.
Reporting sources: sports.yahoo.com, “Michael Jordan NBA Finals memorabilia sells for $14 million”.