Sotheby’s has sold a red Chicago Bulls jersey worn by Michael Jordan in Game 1 of the 1998 “Last Dance” NBA finals against the Utah Jazz for $10.1 million.
The sale breaks the record for the highest-priced piece of sports memorabilia ever auctioned, set earlier this year by Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona’s jersey from the “Hand of God” game in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals. That jersey sold for $9.3 million.
Mr. Jordan played 45 minutes in Game 1 in Utah, scoring 33 as the Bulls forced overtime, only to lose 88-85 to the home team Jazz.
But Mr. Jordan and the Bulls would go on to win the championship that year in Game 6, also played as visitors in Utah.
It would be the sixth and final title won by Mr. Jordan and his dynastic Bulls teammates. Mr. Jordan announced his second of three retirements after the season.
“The jersey is accompanied by a photo matching certificate from The MeiGray Group in regards to the game use. It additionally comes with a graded copy of a June 1998 Sports Illustrated, which features this jersey on the cover,” the item’s auction listing notes.
Games 1 and 6 feature heavily in the mythos of the “Last Dance”, the moniker for Mr. Jordan’s 1998 season recently popularized by the eponymous ESPN documentary. The auctioned jersey can be seen in the documentary.
The Jordan jersey was his second to go to auction, with 20 bids being made for the item, according to the Daily Mail.