Michael Jordan's 1998 Finals Jersey Sells for $14 Million, Sets Memorabilia Record
A game-worn and autographed jersey from Michael Jordan's final championship series has achieved the highest price ever for basketball memorabilia.
A Michael Jordan jersey worn during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals has been sold for $14 million in a private transaction, setting a new record for basketball memorabilia, Hunt Auctions announced Monday.
The red jersey, which is also autographed, was worn by Jordan on June 5, 1998, when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz to even the series at one game apiece. The Bulls went on to win the series, marking their sixth and final championship during Jordan's tenure.
This sale surpasses previous records for basketball memorabilia. In 2022, a jersey from Game 1 of the same 1998 Finals sold for approximately $10.1 million, and a jersey from Game 3 fetched about $12.3 million last month. This makes the $14 million sale the third time a jersey from that series has commanded a price of at least $10 million.
The record-breaking sale places the jersey among the most expensive game-worn jerseys ever sold across all sports. It trails only the $24.12 million paid in 2024 for Babe Ruth's jersey from his "called shot" home run in the 1932 World Series.
Ron Firman, a Miami real estate investor, purchased the jersey through Hunt Auctions. "Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world," Firman said in a statement. "I'm very excited about the purchase."
David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, noted the escalating value of Jordan's memorabilia. "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," he stated. "We are very pleased to have been able to facilitate this historic sale which serves as another benchmark for our industry."
The jersey was originally purchased from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003 and has since remained within a limited chain of custody, having changed hands only once.
Interest in items from Jordan's final season with the Bulls, which was chronicled in the 2020 documentary series "The Last Dance," remains exceptionally high among collectors. In 2023, a pair of Air Jordan sneakers worn by Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 Finals against the Jazz sold for $2.2 million, setting a record at the time for the most valuable sneakers ever sold.