Michael Jordan’s Game 2 1998 Finals jersey sells for record US$14 million
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Michael Jordan’s game-worn 1998 NBA Finals jersey, from Game 1, displayed during Sotheby’s “Invictus” sales in New York in 2022. Jordan’s newly sold Game 2 jersey in the same finals set a record for a piece of basketball memorabilia.
PHOTO: AFP
The jersey Michael Jordan wore during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for a record US$14 million (S$17.9 million).
Hunt Auctions announced on Oct 12 that the game-worn, autographed Chicago Bulls jersey was purchased by Miami real estate investor Ron Firman in a private sale.
It is the highest price ever paid for a piece of basketball memorabilia, and according to the auction house, the newly sold Jordan jersey ranks as the second-largest sale in history among game-worn sports jerseys.
The New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series – during which Ruth called his shot ahead of a home run – went for US$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 in large part thanks to a dominant performance from their superstar guard.
Jordan put up 37 points, five rebounds and three assists in a 93-88 victory.
He would go on to collect his sixth Finals MVP award, two more than anyone else in NBA history, nine days later.
The wildly popular The Last Dance documentary, released in 2020, was centred on that 1997-98 Bulls season.
“The record-setting price achieved for the related Michael Jordan jersey is yet another corroborative result as to the significance of Jordan within the industry and popular culture,” David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said in a statement.
“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.
“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.
“We are very pleased to have been able to facilitate this historic sale which serves as another benchmark for our industry.”
The previous record for a basketball memorabilia item was US$12.26 million for the home jersey worn by Jordan in Game 3 of the 1998 Finals, which was sold via auction in September. REUTERS