Michael Jordan’s Iconic 1998 finals jersey goes to auction

Michael Jordan’s jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals, when he guided the Chicago Bulls to their sixth and final championship, is expected to fetch at least $10 million at auction.

The white Bulls jersey, which will be offered by auction house Joopiter, was worn by Jordan on June 7, 1998, during Game 3 of the Finals against the Utah Jazz at the United Center.

The Bulls cruised to a 96-54 victory to take a 2-1 series lead, with Jordan scoring a game-high 24 points in 32 minutes.

According to international media, Joopiter estimates the jersey will sell for at least $10 million.

The valuation is based partly on the record price set by Jordan’s Game 1 jersey from the 1998 Finals, which sold for $10.1 million in 2022.

Barry Meisel, founder of sports memorabilia company MeiGray, told that Jordan’s game-worn jerseys remain extremely rare compared with memorabilia from modern sporting stars.

"Jordan remains a very, very, very rare relic, certainly in comparison to the GOATs of today -- the LeBrons, the Stephen Currys, because it was a different era," Meisel said.

"There were no game-worn jersey programmes. Teams weren't putting a jersey on a player's back every game or every couple of games."

Jordan won six NBA titles with the Bulls in an eight-year span, with the 1998 championship campaign famously known as "The Last Dance". It was his final season with Chicago before retiring for three years.

Jordan returned to the NBA in 2001, joining the Washington Wizards, and played two seasons before ending his illustrious career.