- A game-worn Michael Jordan jersey sold for $10.1 million at Sotheby's.
- The jersey was worn in the first game of the 1998 NBA Finals.
- The sale breaks the record for game-worn memorabilia and doubles Sotheby's initial valuation of the item.
A jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan in the first game of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $10.1 million, breaking the record for game-worn sports memorabilia.
The jersey is also the most expensive Jordan item ever sold, surpassing an autographed card that sold for $2.7 million. Sotheby's had expected up to a $5 million winning bid, but 20 offers drove the price to double that estimate.
Jordan wore the jersey on the way to his sixth NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls, a journey chronicled in the popular TV series "The Last Dance." At the time, the 1998 Finals were the most-watched in history, as viewers across the globe tuned in to see the star's last run with the likes of Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr.
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The Bulls lost the game that featured this $10.1 million jersey, falling to the Utah Jazz despite Jordan's 33-point performance. The game was in Utah and the Bulls donned their iconic red away-game jerseys. The Jordan-led team ended up taking the series 4-2, and Jordan grabbed his sixth NBA Finals MVP.
Earlier this year, a shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the controversial "Hand of God" goal against England in the 1986 World Cup sold for $9.3 million.
Sotheby's reported "a new generation of collectors" in announcing the sale of Jordan's jersey on Thursday. In addition to physical collectibles, the New York-based auction house has pushed to modernize, auctioning NFTs and even boasting its own metaverse location.
