Michael Jordan has added another extraordinary chapter to the story of his legendary Last Dance season, but this time the record was set away from the basketball court.
A jersey worn by Jordan during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $12.26 million (£9.3 million) at auction, making it the most expensive Michael Jordan game-worn item ever sold. The sale took place through JOOPITER, the digital auction platform founded by Pharrell Williams.
The price comfortably passed the previous Jordan memorabilia record of $10.091 million, set by another jersey worn during the same 1998 Finals. That earlier jersey came from Game 1 of the series and was sold in 2022.
What makes the latest sale particularly fascinating is the story behind the jersey. It was worn on June 7, 1998, when the Chicago Bulls hosted the Utah Jazz at the United Center. Chicago entered the game with the series tied 1-1 after the first two games in Utah.
The Bulls responded in emphatic fashion.
Chicago produced one of the most dominant performances in NBA Finals history, defeating Utah 96-54. The 42-point margin remains the most lopsided game in Finals history, while the Jazz’s 54 points remain the fewest scored by a team in an NBA Finals game.
Jordan finished that night with 24 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. He played 43 minutes according to JOOPITER’s auction description, helping the Bulls take a 2-1 lead in the series.
That context is a major reason why the jersey attracted so much attention from collectors.
Why this jersey is so valuable
The 1997-98 season was not simply another year in Jordan’s career. It was his final championship campaign with the Bulls and the final season of Chicago’s famous second three-peat.
The team had already won five championships during Jordan’s time in Chicago. The 1998 season offered one last opportunity to finish the era with another title.
And that is exactly what happened.
Chicago eventually defeated Utah 4-2 in the Finals. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the sixth time, while the Bulls secured their sixth championship in eight seasons.
The Game 3 jersey therefore represents more than a uniform worn during one basketball game. It is connected to one of the final stages of the Bulls dynasty and the season that later became globally known as The Last Dance.
JOOPITER described the jersey as one of the most significant game-worn sports artifacts to reach the market. The auction house estimated it at between $10 million and $15 million, meaning the final $12.26 million price landed comfortably inside that range.
The jersey also came with a MeiGray photomatching certificate and a letter of provenance from Bill Thoma, adding documentation to its history.
A new record for Michael Jordan memorabilia
The $12.26 million sale breaks Jordan’s previous memorabilia record by more than $2 million.
That previous record was also created by a jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan’s Game 1 jersey sold for approximately $10.1 million in 2022, becoming the most expensive game-worn sports jersey at the time.
The latest sale shows how strongly collectors continue to value objects directly connected to Jordan’s championship years.
There is another interesting detail surrounding the Game 3 jersey. JOOPITER said that only four game-winning jerseys exist from the 1998 Finals, corresponding to the Bulls’ four victories. The auction house also described this example as the only publicly known white 1998 Finals game-winning jersey to have surfaced.
That combination of rarity, documented game use and historical significance helped turn the jersey into a seven-figure-plus collectible.
Jordan’s Game 3 jersey vs Babe Ruth’s record
Despite setting a new Jordan record and a new NBA game-worn jersey record, the item did not become the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia ever sold.
That distinction still belongs to baseball legend Babe Ruth.
Ruth’s jersey from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, associated with his famous “called shot” home run, sold for $24.12 million at Heritage Auctions in 2024. It remains more than $11 million ahead of Jordan’s latest auction result.
The Ruth jersey had also gained considerable value because it was subsequently photo-matched to the famous 1932 game. The sale established a new benchmark for sports memorabilia.
So, while Jordan’s latest jersey has rewritten the record books for basketball collectibles, Ruth’s historic Yankees jersey continues to hold the overall auction record among game-worn sports memorabilia.
The lasting value of the Last Dance
There is a reason memorabilia from the 1998 Bulls continues to attract enormous attention nearly three decades later.
Jordan’s final Chicago championship season has become part of sporting culture far beyond basketball. The Bulls’ six championships, Jordan’s performances and the dramatic ending of his Chicago career have made the 1997-98 season one of the most recognizable periods in modern sports.
Game 3 was an important piece of that story.
Jordan did not need to score 50 points that night. Instead, Chicago dominated from start to finish, with the Bulls holding Utah to just 54 points. The performance gave the team control of the series and demonstrated the defensive strength of a championship team built around Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and their veteran supporting cast.
The jersey now carries that history with it.
For collectors, it is a physical connection to a championship season. For basketball fans, it represents one of the final chapters of Jordan’s Chicago career. And for the wider sports memorabilia market, the $12.26 million price demonstrates how valuable historically significant game-worn items can become.
Jordan’s 1998 season ended with the famous Game 6 victory in Utah, when he hit the championship-winning jumper with 5.2 seconds remaining. That shot delivered Chicago’s sixth title and became one of the defining images of his career.
Now, decades later, another object from that same championship run has made history.
The $12.26 million sale is not just another expensive auction result. It shows that the market for iconic sports memorabilia remains closely tied to moments that fans remember long after the final whistle.
And with Jordan’s 1998 Bulls era continuing to command huge prices, collectors will undoubtedly keep watching whenever another genuine piece of the Last Dance appears on the market.
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