Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey fetches record $12.3m at auction
A jersey worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals has been sold for $12.3 million (£9.3 million), establishing a new high for any item of Jordan memorabilia, according to a BBC Sport report on Thursday.
The Chicago Bulls shirt was worn by Jordan in Game 3 of the 1998 Finals, a season that later became known as his "Last Dance".
During that series, Jordan guided the Bulls to a 4-2 win over the Utah Jazz, claiming his sixth and final NBA title. He was also awarded Finals Most Valuable Player for the sixth time.
The sale price exceeds the previous record for Jordan memorabilia, which stood at $10.1 million (£7.6 million) for the jersey he wore in Game 1 of the same 1998 Finals.
The jersey was put up for sale by entrepreneur Ryan Gough through Joopiter, the digital auction platform established by Pharrell Williams. It had been expected to fetch between $10 million and $15 million.
In its auction listing, Joopiter stated: "Few objects in the history of sport embody greatness as completely as Michael Jordan's game three jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals."
The auction house added that the jersey was "worn during the Last Dance" and "marks the culmination of an era that transformed basketball into a global cultural phenomenon."
Joopiter also described the item as standing "among the most important game-worn sports artifacts ever to come to market."
Jordan-related items have consistently attracted high bids at auction. His 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello recently changed hands for $2.7 million, which was four times the previous auction record for that model.
Even so, the Jordan jersey does not hold the overall record for the most expensive game-worn sports memorabilia. That title belongs to Babe Ruth's jersey linked to his famous "called shot" in the 1932 World Series, which was sold for $24.1 million (£18.2 million) in 2024.
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