Sports

Jordan’s 1998 Finals Jersey Sells for $14 Million, Setting Record for Basketball Memorabilia

By Reuters and The Associated Press

The game‑worn, autographed Chicago Bulls jersey Michael Jordan wore in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for a record $14 million. Hunt Auctions announced on Monday that Miami real‑estate investor Ron Firman purchased the jersey in a private sale. The sale marks the highest price ever paid for a piece of basketball memorabilia and, according to the auction house, ranks as the second‑largest sale in history among game‑worn sports jerseys. The record for a game‑worn jersey remains held by Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees jersey from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, which fetched $24.12 million in 2024.

Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in six games to win the 1998 championship, the sixth and final title of his career in Chicago. Game 2, played on June 5, 1998, in Salt Lake City, saw Chicago even the series 1‑1, largely thanks to a dominant performance by its superstar guard. Jordan scored 37 points, five rebounds, and three assists in a 93‑88 victory. He would go on to collect his sixth and final Finals Most Valuable Player award nine days later.

The “Last Dance” documentary, released in 2020, focused on the 1997‑98 Bulls season. David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said the record‑setting price "is yet another corroborative result as to the significance of Jordan within the industry and popular culture. This remarkable garment bore witness to one of Jordan’s most hallowed NBA Finals appearances as part of his ‘Last Dance’ season to complete his illustrious career." He added that the sale "serves as another benchmark for our industry."

This sale becomes at least the third time a Jordan jersey from that 1998 Finals has fetched at least $10 million. A jersey from Game 1 sold for about $10.1 million in 2022, and a jersey from Game 3 sold for about $12.3 million in September. Firman said in a news release distributed by the auction house, "Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world. I’m very excited about the purchase."

The jersey that Firman bought was originally purchased from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003 and has remained within a succinct chain of custody, having only changed hands once from the original purchaser. Items related to the 1998 Finals and Jordan’s final season with the Bulls continue to attract significant interest in the collector space. In 2023, a pair of Air Jordan sneakers that he wore in Game 2 against the Jazz sold by Sotheby’s for $2.2 million, touted at the time as a new world record for the most valuable sneakers ever sold.