A Michael Jordan jersey from his final season with the Chicago Bulls sold for $12.3 million (£9.3 million) at Joopiter, Pharrell Williams’ digital auction house, setting a new record for game‑worn basketball memorabilia. The jersey was worn in game three of the 1998 NBA Finals, the series that saw Jordan’s sixth and last championship as he was named Finals MVP in all six of his title runs.
The auction was organized by entrepreneur Ryan Gough, who had estimated the piece between $10 million and $15 million (£7.5 million–£11.3 million). The sale surpassed the previous record of $10.1 million (£7.6 million) for Jordan’s jersey from game one of the same series.
Joopiter’s auction description praised the jersey as a symbol of greatness, noting that it was worn “during the Last Dance… it marks the culmination of an era that transformed basketball into a global cultural phenomenon.” The posting added that the item “stands among the most important game‑worn sports artifacts ever to come to market.”
Jordan’s 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello, also sold by Gough, fetched $2.7 million (£2 million), quadrupling the auction record for that model. The record for game‑worn sports memorabilia remains the Babe Ruth jersey worn during the 1932 World Series “shot,” which sold for $24.1 million (£18.2 million) in 2024.
With the sale, Jordan’s 1998 jersey now holds the highest price ever paid for a piece of game‑worn basketball gear, underscoring his enduring legacy in the sport.
