A Chicago Bulls jersey worn by Michael Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals has fetched a record $14m. Hunt Auctions announced on Monday that the game-worn, autographed shirt was acquired in a private sale by Ron Firman, a real estate investor based in Miami.
The auction house said the price is the highest ever paid for any piece of basketball memorabilia. It also ranks the sale second among all game-worn sports jerseys, behind a New York Yankees shirt that Babe Ruth wore in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, the game in which he called his shot before hitting a home run. That jersey went for $24.12m in 2024.
Firman’s purchase and Hunt Auctions’ assessment
Firman said he admired Jordan’s talent, which he said is recognised around the world, and that he was excited about the purchase. The jersey had originally been bought from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003, and Hunt said it had changed hands only once since then.
David Hunt, the president of Hunt Auctions, said the result confirmed Jordan’s influence on the sports industry and popular culture. He added that memorabilia tied to Jordan has moved into a category usually reserved for famous works of art, and that the firm was pleased to help complete what it called a historic transaction.
Other 1998 Finals jerseys in the market
Hunt noted that this is at least the third Jordan jersey from the 1998 Finals to sell for $10m or more. A Game 1 jersey sold for about $10.1m in 2022, while a Game 3 shirt was auctioned for roughly $12.3m last month, in September.
Interest in anything connected to that championship season remains intense among collectors. In 2023, Sotheby’s sold a pair of Air Jordan sneakers that Jordan wore in Game 2 against the Utah Jazz for $2.2m, a sum promoted at the time as a world record for the most valuable sneakers ever sold.
Game 2 and the 1998 championship
Game 2 took place on June 5, 1998, in Salt Lake City, where Chicago tied the series 1-1, largely because of a dominant showing from its star guard. Jordan scored 37 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists in a 93-88 win.
Nine days later, Jordan collected his sixth and final Finals Most Valuable Player award, two more than any other player in NBA history. The Bulls had already beaten the Utah Jazz in six games to take that 1998 title, the sixth and last championship of his career in Chicago.
The season was the focus of the “Last Dance” documentary, released in 2020, which proved hugely popular with viewers.
