Even decades after he announced his retirement from the NBA, Michael Jordan broke another record on Thursday.
The NBA legend’s The Last Dance jersey from the 1998 NBA finals sold for $10.1 million at the auction house Sotheby’s.
With this price, Jordan’s Bulls jersey set the record for the most money spent on a basketball jersey, any game-worn sports memorabilia and a Jordan item sold at any auction. The previous record holder for sports memorabilia was a Diego Maradona “Hand of God” jersey from the 1986 World Cup that was bought for $9.28 million back in May.
In terms of Jordan memorabilia, the previous record was a 1997–98 Upper Deck Game Jersey patch card with an autograph that was bought for $2.7 million in Oct. 2021.
“In the weeks since we announced the auction, there’s been palpable excitement from not only sports fans, but collectors alike who are eager to own a rarified piece of history,” Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables Brahm Wachter said, via ESPN. ”[The] record-breaking result, with an astounding 20 bids, solidifies Michael Jordan as the undisputed GOAT, proving his name and incomparable legacy is just as relevant as it was nearly 25 years ago.”
The 1998 NBA finals marked Jordan’s sixth and final league title in his career. His final NBA season was showcased in a 2020 ESPN documentary titled The Last Dance.
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