Michael Jordan's 1998 Finals Game 2 Jersey Sells for Record $14 Million in Private Sale

A game-worn, autographed Michael Jordan road jersey from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $14 million, the highest price ever paid for a piece of basketball memorabilia, Hunt Auctions announced Monday.

The Pennsylvania-based auction house said the private treaty sale was completed last month and identified the buyer as Miami real estate investor Ron Firman. The red Chicago Bulls jersey was photomatched by MeiGray Authentication and SIA Authentication to Game 2, played June 5, 1998, in Salt Lake City. The Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz 93-88 that night, with Jordan scoring 37 points to even the series at one game apiece. Chicago went on to win the series in six games, securing Jordan's sixth and final NBA championship.

"The record-setting price achieved for the related Michael Jordan jersey is yet another corroborative result as to the significance of Jordan within the industry and popular culture," David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said in a statement. "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. 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. We are very pleased to have been able to facilitate this historic sale which serves as another benchmark for our industry."

Firman said in a statement released by the auction house, "Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world. I'm very excited about the purchase."

The $14 million figure ranks as the second-highest known price for any game-worn sports jersey. It trails the $24.12 million paid in 2024 for the New York Yankees jersey Babe Ruth wore in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, the game in which he hit his "called shot" home run. Three Jordan jerseys from the 1998 Finals have now sold for at least $10 million. His Game 1 road jersey sold for $10,091,000 at Sotheby's in September 2022. His Game 3 home jersey sold for $12,260,000 at JOOPITER on Sept. 29. The Game 2 jersey is the only one of the three that is autographed.

Hunt Auctions said the jersey was originally purchased directly from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003 and had changed hands only once before the latest sale. Documentation includes a 2003 letter from longtime Bulls director of community relations Jeff Schultz, who wrote that it was "one of the finest examples of any game-worn jersey I have ever seen in my 15+ years of managing the Chicago Bulls memorabilia."

The 1997-98 season was the subject of the 2020 documentary series "The Last Dance." Jordan averaged 33.5 points per game in the Finals and was named Finals MVP. He retired from the NBA for the second time after the series. The jersey was worn on the road in Salt Lake City; Hunt Auctions noted that Jordan wore red road uniforms in Games 1, 2 and 6 of that Finals.

No further details on the condition of the jersey or additional provenance documents were released. The sale is the latest in a series of high-value transactions for memorabilia from Jordan's final championship season with the Bulls.