Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Jersey Sold for a Record $12.26 Million at Auction

Michael Jordan is still breaking records 23 years (a serendipitous figure) after he left the court.

His Airness’s game-worn jersey from Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals has hammered down for $12.26 million this week via Pharrell’s Joopiter digital marketplace and auction house. The garb is now the most expensive game-worn NBA jersey to ever be sold at auction, surpassing Jordan’s $10.1 million Game 1 shirt from the same championship for that title.

The high price tag makes sense. The 1998 NBA Finals, often referred to as the Last Dance in the wake of the multi-part documentary of the same name, was the most-watched championship series in basketball history, cementing Jordan’s legacy in the sport and marking the end of his triumphs with the Chicago Bulls. In Game 3, the star player scored 24 points in a mere 32 minutes, and the Windy City’s team went on to beat the Utah Jazz 96 to 54. And he did it all while donning the shirt that just went under the hammer, also known as the only white 1998 NBA Finals jersey to have come into the public eye—making it that much rarer.

“It has been a privilege for Joopiter to bring such an important piece of Michael Jordan’s legacy to market, and to see it establish a new auction record for an NBA jersey,” Caitlin Donovan, the company’s global head of sale, said in a press statement. “Sports collectibles are in an exceptionally exciting period of evolution, as the category continues to mature and objects of true rarity, provenance and cultural significance are increasingly recognized on the global collecting stage. This result speaks to that momentum, and we are excited to continue building Joopiter’s presence in the category and bringing exceptional pieces of sports history to collectors around the world.”

As for the most expensive sports jersey ever sold at auction, that accolade belongs to another GOAT. Babe Ruth’s iconic “called shot” jersey from the 1932 World Series hammered down for a pretty $24.12 million back in 2024, according to The Athletic. And while you may have missed out on a piece of NBA history, Joopiter has had more than enough sales to go around. It auctioned off a triceratops skeleton named Trey earlier this year, as well as Pharrell’s own Jacob & Co. jewelry and watches.