Basketball GOAT Michael Jordan smashes another record with $14 million jersey sale

Basketball legend Michael Jordan has set another record in the sports memorabilia market after a game-worn, autographed jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals sold privately for $14 million.

The historic sale, announced by Hunt Auctions on Monday, makes the red Chicago Bulls jersey the most expensive piece of basketball memorabilia ever sold.

The jersey was worn by Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals on June 5, when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz to level the series at one game apiece. Jordan and the Bulls eventually won the series in six games, securing the sixth and final NBA championship of his legendary career.

Pennsylvania-based Hunt Auctions confirmed that Miami real estate investor Ron Firman purchased the jersey through a private treaty sale.

The item had originally been acquired from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003. According to Hunt Auctions, it subsequently changed hands only once before the latest transaction, maintaining what the auction house described as a clear chain of custody.

David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said Jordan’s standing in the memorabilia market had reached a level comparable to that of iconic works of art.

“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,” Hunt said.

The sale further demonstrates the enduring appeal of Jordan’s final championship season, which later became the subject of the acclaimed 2020 documentary series The Last Dance.

The $14 million transaction ranks among the most expensive sales of a game-worn jersey in sports history, although it remains below the $24.12 million paid in 2024 for a Babe Ruth New York Yankees jersey associated with his famous 1932 World Series home run against the Chicago Cubs.

It is also at least the third time a jersey from Jordan’s 1998 Finals campaign has sold for more than $10 million.

A jersey from Game 1 fetched approximately $10.1 million at auction in 2022, while another worn during Game 3 sold for around $12.3 million in an auction last month.

Firman expressed his excitement about acquiring the historic item.

“Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world. I’m very excited about the purchase,” he said.

The market for Jordan collectibles has continued to flourish beyond jerseys. In 2023, a pair of Air Jordan sneakers worn during Game 2 of the same Finals series sold for $2.2 million through Sotheby’s, setting a record for the most expensive sneakers ever sold at the time.

With the latest $14 million transaction, Jordan’s final championship run continues to generate extraordinary interest among collectors more than two decades after his retirement from the Bulls.