Ron Firman, a Miami real estate investor, bought the Game 2 jersey for $14 million in a private sale, announced by Hunt Auctions on Monday, 12 October.
The jersey ranks second among game-worn sports jerseys, behind the Babe Ruth Yankees jersey that sold for $24.12 million in 2024.
On 5 June 1998 in Salt Lake City, Jordan scored 37 points with five rebounds and three assists in a 93-88 win that evened the Finals at 1-1.
The prior basketball record was $12.26 million for the Game 3 jersey, auctioned in September, which the new sale exceeds by $1.74 million.
A Chicago Bulls jersey that Michael Jordan wore during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $14 million, the highest price ever paid for a piece of basketball memorabilia, according to Hunt Auctions. The auction house announced the sale on Monday, 12 October. The game-worn jersey carries Jordan's autograph and was bought by Ron Firman, a real estate investor from Miami, in a private sale rather than a public auction. Hunt Auctions said the jersey ranks as the second-largest sale in history among game-worn sports jerseys. Only a New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series sold for more, at $24.12 million in 2024.
“Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world. I'm very excited about the purchase.”
Firman made the comments in a news release distributed by the auction house.
Game 2 was played on 5 June 1998 in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz, after Chicago had lost the opening game of the series. Jordan scored 37 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded three assists as the Bulls won 93-88 to even the series 1-1. Chicago went on to win the series 4-2, the sixth and final championship of Jordan's career. Jordan collected his sixth and final Finals MVP award nine days after Game 2. The 1997-98 season is the focus of the 2020 documentary "The Last Dance", which renewed interest in the team.
“This remarkable garment bore witness to one of Jordan's most hallowed NBA Finals appearances as part of his 'Last Dance' season to complete his illustrious career.”
David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, made the statement announcing the sale.
The previous record for basketball memorabilia was $12.26 million, paid for the jersey Jordan wore in Game 3 of the same Finals, which was auctioned in September. A Game 1 jersey from the series sold for about $10.1 million in 2022. The chart below compares these sales with the Babe Ruth jersey that still holds the overall sports record.
Data from the article text
Hunt described the market for Jordan items in the statement announcing the sale.
“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.”
The sale is the third time a Jordan jersey from the 1998 Finals has fetched at least $10 million, according to the auction house's figures reported by Al Jazeera.
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Miami real estate investor Ron Firman bought the jersey Michael Jordan wore in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals in a private sale brokered by Hunt Auctions. The $14 million price is the highest ever paid for basketball memorabilia.
AI text based on reports by AGI, 20minutes, Focus and other publishers. Changed .