A jersey worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $12.3m (£9.3m), setting a new record for a game-worn piece of Jordan memorabilia.
Jordan wore the jersey during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, his final season with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz 4-2 in the series to secure their sixth NBA championship in eight seasons. Jordan was named Finals MVP for all six of the Bulls’ championship victories during his career.
The latest sale surpassed the previous auction record for Jordan memorabilia. That record had stood at $10.1m (£7.6m), paid for the jersey he wore during Game 1 of the same 1998 Finals. The Game 3 jersey was sold by entrepreneur Ryan Gough through Joopiter, the digital auction house founded by Pharrell Williams. It had been estimated to sell for between $10m and $15m.
Joopiter described the jersey as one of the most significant game-worn sporting items to reach the market, linking it to Jordan’s final championship season and the period later popularised as the “Last Dance.”
The 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello owned by Jordan was also sold for $2.7m (£2m). That is reportedly four times the previous auction record for that model. Despite the new Jordan record, the jersey does not hold the overall record for game-worn sports memorabilia.
That mark belongs to a jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth during the 1932 World Series. The item sold for $24.1m (£18.2m) in 2024 after being associated with Ruth’s famous “called shot” moment.
