A worn Michael Jordan jersey from Game 1 of the Chicago Bulls’ 1998 Finals sold for a record $10.1 million Thursday, according to Sotheby’s.
Sotheby’s, the prominent New York Auction house, sold the eight-figure jersey the hall of fame legend wore to make it the highest-priced item in sports memorabilia history.
The record-setting number beats out soccer legend Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey from the 1986 World Cup that sold for $9.28 million on May 4.
The $10.1 million sold Jordan jersey beats out Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey from the 1986 World Cup.APJordan wore the jersey during Game 1 against the Utah Jazz on Jun. 3, 1998, where Jordan went on to win his sixth and final NBA championship with the Bulls, according to ESPN.
The “Jump-man’s” 1998 Finals jersey joins a list of sports memorabilia to surpass eight figures. On Aug. 28, New York Yankees legendary star Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card sold for $12.6 million — far surpassing Jordan’s “Last Dance” jersey.
Michael Jordan looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz in Game One of the NBA Finals during the 1998 NBA Playoffs on June 3, 1998 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NBAE via Getty ImagesIn July, Netflix debuted the “Last Dance” — a 10-part documentary that encapsulates Jordan’s historic final season with the Chicago Bulls.
The jersey now beats out the last record-setting Jordan sports memorabilia item, an autographed Upper Deck game jersey patch card that sold for $2.7 million in 2021.
The “Jump-man’s” 1998 Finals jersey joins Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card as sports memorabilia items to surpass eight figures. AP The same card that sold for $2.7 million previously beat out a rare, signed 1997 Upper Deck Game Jordan card that went for nearly $1.5 million at a Dallas-based auction house.
“The season itself is his ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete, and a testament to him as a champion and competitor,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear & Modern Collectibles said.
