Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey sells for £9m
A jersey Michael Jordan wore in his final season with the Chicago Bulls has sold for $12.3m (£9.3m). That’s a new record for a piece of Jordan memorabilia.
The 63 years old wore it in game three of the 1998 NBA Finals. The Bulls went on to win the series 4-2, giving Jordan his sixth and last NBA title. He was named Finals MVP each time.
The old record was $10.1m (£7.6m), set by his game one jersey from the same Finals.
Entrepreneur Ryan Gough put the jersey up for sale at Joopiter, the online auction house run by Pharrell Williams. It had been estimated to sell for $10-15m (£7.5-£11.3m).
“Few objects in the history of sport embody greatness as completely as Michael Jordan’s game three jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals,” Joopiter said in the auction posting.
“Worn during the Last Dance… it marks the culmination of an era that transformed basketball into a global cultural phenomenon.
“Today it stands among the most important game-worn sports artifacts ever to come to market.”
Jordan’s 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello also sold, for $2.7m (£2m). That’s four times the previous auction record for that model.
The most expensive game-worn sports item ever is still Babe Ruth’s jersey from the 1932 World Series, the game where he “called the shot”. It sold for $24.1m (£18.2m) in 2024.
Jordan is widely seen as one of the greatest players the game has known. In 15 seasons he won six championships with the Bulls, including two “three-peats” (1991-93 and 1996-98), and was Finals MVP every time. He won five league MVP awards and a record 10 scoring titles, and made 14 All-Star teams. He was also the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year. His career average of 30.1 points per game is still the highest in NBA history. He entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
