Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game-Worn Jersey Sells for $10.1 Million
This article was originally published on August 11, 2022.
Update September 16, 2022: Michael Jordan’s game-worn jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals has been sold for an eye-watering $10.1 million, the jersey originally projected to fetch between $3 and 5 million.
Auction house are selling one of the most prized pieces of basketball memorabilia: the very Chicago Bulls jersey worn by in Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Famously regarded as ‘ in the MJ-led Bulls dynasty en route to the team’s second ‘three-peat’, early estimates place the jersey fetching anywhere between $3 to 5 million in this single-item lot.
‘The Last Dance’ moniker found resurgence following the documentary series of the same name, and this particular Game 1 jersey featured frequently in episode 10. It even appeared on the front cover of the June 1998 edition of Sports Illustrated following the conclusion of the finals series.
MJ played in this jersey for 45 minutes – his longest court time in the entire series – in the Game 1 loss to Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals, notching 33 points. It’s only one of two Jordan-worn Finals jerseys from his championship runs to appear at auction, with most examples in private collections.
‘Finals jerseys from Jordan are remarkably scant, and the 1997-1998 Finals are arguably the most coveted of them all,’ says Sotheby’s head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables, Brahm Wachter.
The jersey can be viewed in Monterey, California from August 17 to 20, then Sotheby’s New York from September 6 to 12. Bidding will open online from September 6 to 14 on Sotheby’s INVICTUS PART 1 lot.