Michael Jordan's jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals has been sold for an impressive $14 million. The jersey, signed by the legendary basketball player, was worn in Game 2 of the series between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz, when Jordan scored 37 points and led his team to victory. The sale was announced by the auction house “Hunt Auctions”, which specializes in sports collectibles.
The buyer is Ron Firman, a real estate investor from the Miami area. The jersey belonged to a private collector after the Chicago Bulls sold it in 2003. Organizers say the fact that the item has only changed hands once over the years contributes to its high value. "Michael Jordan was an incredible player, one of the most talented I've ever seen and one of the most popular sports figures in the world. I'm incredibly excited about this purchase," Firman said.
The sale set a new record for an NBA collectible. Hunt Auctions president David Hunt called the deal historic and said it set a new benchmark for the market. That season, the Chicago Bulls won the championship after defeating the Utah Jazz 4-2 in the final series, which became one of the iconic stories in the Netflix documentary series “The Last Dance“.
Despite the record price for the NBA, Jordan's jersey ranks second among the most expensive sports jerseys sold in the history of American sports. In 2024, a jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth from the 1932 World Series finals was sold for $24.12 million. This is the third time that a Jordan jersey has sold for over $10 million: in 2022, a jersey from the first game of the 1998 finals reached $10.1 million, and last month, another from the third match was sold for $12.3 million.