A Chicago Bulls jersey worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $14 million, setting a record for basketball memorabilia and adding to the extraordinary market for items associated with the six-time NBA champion.
The signed jersey, worn during Game 2 of the Finals against the Utah Jazz, was purchased by Miami real estate investor Ron Firman in a private sale announced Monday by Hunt Auctions.
The price makes it the most expensive piece of basketball memorabilia sold to date, according to the auction house. It is also the second-highest price ever paid for a game-worn sports jersey, behind a New York Yankees shirt worn by Babe Ruth during the 1932 World Series that sold for $24.12 million in 2024.
Jordan wore the jersey on June 5, 1998, when he scored 37 points to lead Chicago to a 93-88 victory over Utah in Salt Lake City. The win levelled the series at one game apiece and helped keep the Bulls on course for what would become their sixth NBA championship.
Chicago won the series in six games, completing its second three-peat of the decade and Jordan’s sixth and final title with the franchise. He was named Finals Most Valuable Player for the sixth time, further cementing his standing among basketball’s most celebrated players.
The 1997-98 campaign became known as Jordan’s “Last Dance” season, a story revisited in the popular 2020 documentary series that chronicled the Bulls’ final championship run with Jordan and coach Phil Jackson.
The latest sale is part of a series of high-value transactions involving jerseys from that Finals. Jordan’s Game 1 jersey sold for about $10.1 million in 2022, while a Game 3 jersey fetched approximately $12.3 million in September 2026.
David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said the latest result reflected Jordan’s lasting influence on sports collecting and popular culture. He said the jersey was significant because it was worn during one of the defining appearances of Jordan’s final championship season.
According to Hunt Auctions, the jersey was purchased directly from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003. It changed hands only once after that original purchase before being acquired by Firman.
The market for Jordan memorabilia has also extended beyond jerseys. In 2023, a pair of sneakers he wore during Game 2 of the 1998 Finals sold through Sotheby’s for $2.2 million, setting a record for the most expensive sneakers sold at the time.
Firman said he was excited about the acquisition, describing Jordan as a player admired around the world.
The $14 million sale underscores the premium collectors continue to place on objects tied to Jordan’s final championship with Chicago, a season that remains one of the most recognisable chapters in NBA history.
The 1997-98 campaign became known as Jordan’s “Last Dance” season, a story revisited in the popular 2020 documentary series that chronicled the Bulls’ final championship run with Jordan and coach Phil Jackson.
