More than 28 years after Michael Jordan’s final championship run with the Chicago Bulls, memorabilia from the “Last Dance” continues to reach unprecedented territory.
A game-worn and autographed red Bulls jersey worn by Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals has been sold privately for $14 million, Hunt Auctions announced Monday. The transaction represents the highest price ever paid for a piece of basketball memorabilia.
Miami real estate investor Ron Firman was identified as the buyer. Unlike a traditional public auction, the jersey changed hands through a private treaty sale arranged by Hunt Auctions.
The significance of the jersey goes far beyond Jordan’s name. He wore it on June 5, 1998, in Salt Lake City during Game 2 of the Finals against the Utah Jazz. Chicago had dropped the opener and entered the night facing the possibility of falling behind 2-0. Instead, Jordan scored 37 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists as the Bulls won 93-88 and tied the series at 1-1. Chicago eventually won the championship in six games, completing its second three-peat and giving Jordan the sixth and final NBA title of his career.
The $14 million sale also continues a remarkable run for jerseys from that particular Finals series. Jordan’s Game 3 home jersey sold for $12.26 million in September, which had been the basketball-memorabilia record before Monday’s deal.
Another jersey from the 1998 Finals, worn in Game 1, sold for approximately $10.1 million in 2022.
Even at $14 million, however, Jordan’s jersey does not hold the record across all sports. A New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series sold for $24.12 million in 2024, remaining the most expensive known game-worn sports jersey.
