Michael Jordan, the 63-year-old Basketball King, has set a new record in sports memorabilia. His jersey from the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals of the Last Dance season fetched a staggering 14 million USD at auction, the highest price ever for a basketball collectible.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the game-worn and signed jersey from Jordan’s Game 2 performance against the Utah Jazz on June 6, 1998, was sold to Ron Furman, a Miami-based real estate investor, for 14 million USD.
In that pivotal game, Jordan dominated with 37 points, propelling the Chicago Bulls to a crucial 93-88 victory and evening the series at 1-1.
This 14 million USD sale shatters the previous record for basketball memorabilia. Just last month, another Jordan jersey from Game 3 of the same 1998 NBA Finals series sold for 12.26 million USD, setting the stage for this latest record-breaking sale.
The 1998 NBA Finals, part of Jordan’s famed ‘Last Dance’ season, saw him lead Chicago to their sixth championship. He capped off his illustrious career by securing his sixth and final Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
While impressive, Jordan’s jersey sale doesn’t quite reach the all-time record for sports jerseys. That honor belongs to Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series Game 3 jersey, which sold for an astonishing 24.12 million USD in 2024.
Ruth’s jersey gained legendary status after he hit his famous called shot home run in that game, further cementing his place in Major League Baseball (MLB) lore.