CHICAGO — A Michael Jordan jersey from his 'Last Dance' season has sold for $14m (£10.6m), setting a new record for a piece of basketball memorabilia. Jordan wore the autographed Chicago Bulls jersey during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals, when he scored a game-high 37 points.
Jordan closed that series with a 4-2 win for his sixth and final NBA Championship and was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player in all six of his championship series. "While Michael Jordan's importance within the sports memorabilia marketplace has long been established, it has now escalated to an elite asset class more typically reserved for iconic works of art," said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions.
The sale ranks as the second-highest price ever paid for any piece of sports memorabilia, trailing only the jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth when he "called the shot" during the 1932 World Series, which sold for $24.1m (£18.2m) in 2024. The previous high for a basketball item was a card featuring Jordan and Kobe Bryant from 2007-08 which sold for $12.9m (£9.8m) last year.
The previous record for a piece of game-worn Jordan memorabilia was set just two weeks ago when his Game 3 jersey from the 1998 Finals sold for $12.3M (£9.3m) via auction. That jersey was not autographed. The latest purchase was made by Miami real estate investor Ron Firman in a private sale through Hunt Auctions.