A Michael Jordan jersey from his final season with the Chicago Bulls has sold for a record $14m (£10.6m), making it the most expensive piece of basketball memorabilia ever sold.
Jordan wore the signed jersey during Game Two of the 1998 NBA Finals, when he scored a game-high 37 points.
He went on to finish his final season with the Bulls by securing a 4-2 series victory over the Utah Jazz, winning his sixth and final NBA Championship. Jordan was named the Finals’ Most Valuable Player in all six championship campaigns.
The only piece of sports memorabilia to command a higher price is a jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth during the 1932 World Series, when he famously “called the shot”. The item sold for $24.1m (£18.2m) in 2024.
The previous record for a basketball item was held by a trading card featuring Jordan and Kobe Bryant from the 2007-08 season, which sold for $12.9m (£9.8m) last year.
The sale also surpasses the previous record for Jordan’s game-worn memorabilia, set just two weeks ago when his jersey from Game Three of the 1998 Finals fetched $12.3m (£9.3m) at auction. That jersey was not autographed.
The latest purchase was made by Miami real estate investor Ron Firman in a private sale arranged by Hunt Auctions.
David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said in a statement: “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.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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