The market for high end sports memorabilia is as hot as ever, after Pennsylvania-based auction house Hunt Auctions announced a private sale of a Michael Jordan jersey for $14M. The buyer, Miami real-estate investor Ron Firman, shelled out the record setting sum to acquire a red Chicago Bulls jersey, worn by Jordan in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz.
The game worn item, which is also autographed, is believed to be the second most expensive sports jersey sale on record, trailing only Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees uniform that he’s believed to have worn when he hit his “called shot” in the World Series. That piece of memorabilia fetched an eye popping $24.12M at auction back in 2024.
The Bulls jersey was photo matched by Mei Grey and SIA Photo Matching services, significantly boosting the value of the item in the eyes of collectors.
“While Michael Jordan’s importance within the sports memorabilia marketplace has long been established it has now escalated to an elite asset class more typically reserved for iconic works of art,” said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions. “We are very pleased to have been able to facilitate this historic sale which serves as another benchmark for our industry.”
The 1998 NBA Finals, the last of Jordan’s six NBA titles, have become one of the most important events in recent memory in the minds of collectors. Following the hit of the docuseries “The Last Dance”, sports fans from around the globe have been seeking out important items from the series to add to their personal collections.
This weekend’s sale is now the 3rd time a game worn Jordan jersey from the series has fetched over $10M, following a Game 1 jersey that brought in $10.1M back in 2022, and a Game 3 jersey that reached $12.3M just last month. A pair of Air Jordan game used sneakers also brought in $2.2M at Sotheby’s back in 2023 as well, underscoring the value of anything related to the series.
“Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world.” Firman said in a news release distributed by the auction house. “I’m very excited about the purchase.”
The $14M price tag officially makes the sale the most expensive basketball jersey on record. Though that figure could be shattered if a Game 6 jersey were to ever hit the auction block.
Photo: Nicholas Richoffer. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.