Jordan's 1998 Finals Jersey Sells for Record $14 Million

A red jersey worn by Michael Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA finals has sold for $14 million, as The Guardian first reported. The auction house, Hunt Auctions, announced Monday that Miami real estate investor Ron Firman purchased the item in a private sale, marking the highest price ever paid for basketball memorabilia.

During the game in question, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz to tie the series at one game apiece. The Bulls eventually secured the series in six games, marking the final championship of Jordan's career. The 1997-98 season was later the focus of the 2020 Netflix documentary series *The Last Dance*.

David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, stated that while Jordan's status in the memorabilia market was already established, it has now risen to an "elite asset class" usually associated with iconic art. The jersey was first acquired from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003 and has only changed hands once since then, according to Hunt Auctions.

This sale is the third time a jersey from the 1998 finals has reached at least $10 million. A Game 1 jersey sold for approximately $10.1 million in 2022, and a Game 3 jersey sold for roughly $12.3 million last month. The $14 million price tag is the second-highest known cost for any game-worn jersey, trailing a $24.12 million sale in 2024 for a 1932 World Series jersey worn by the New York Yankees' Babe Ruth.

Other items from Jordan's final season have also seen record valuations. Sotheby's sold a pair of sneakers worn by Jordan in Game 2 against the Jazz for $2.2 million in 2023, which was described as a world record for sneakers at the time.