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Dan Hajducky, ESPN Staff WriterNov 4, 2024, 06:02 PM ET
- Dan Hajducky is a staff writer for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.
A game-worn Michael Jordan jersey from the Chicago Bulls‘ 1996-97 season has sold for $4.68 million via Sotheby’s.
The jersey was worn in at least 17 games during the season, including the game in which rookie sensation Allen Iverson crossed Jordan over.
It’s the fourth-most expensive NBA jersey of all time behind Jordan’s $10.1 million “Last Dance” jersey; a signed Kobe Bryant jersey worn in his lone MVP season in 2007-08 which sold for just over $5.8 million; and a 1972 NBA Finals jersey worn by Wilt Chamberlain during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first NBA title run ($4.9 million) — all of which sold via Sotheby’s. The 1996-97 Jordan red jersey is the only MeiGray Authenticated red jersey from Jordan’s first five championship seasons.
This game-worn Michael Jordan jersey from the Chicago Bulls’ 1996-97 season sold for $4.68 million via Sotheby’s, making it the fourth-most expensive NBA jersey of all-time. Sotheby’s
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According to Sotheby’s, “The jersey has remained in private hands since its sale from the team.”
The jersey was one of five lots from Sotheby’s “Colossal | The Ultimate Jordan Collection” auction, which included a game-worn and signed jersey from Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs during the 1998 “Last Dance” season (sold for $840,000); a University of North Carolina practice set of jersey and signed sneakers ($132,000); a set of game-used jersey and shorts from the 1988-89 season, including playoffs ($1.08 million); and a 1992 Summer Olympics “Dream Team”-signed American flag ($1.8 million) worn during the gold medal ceremony.
In total, the Jordan auction raked in $8.5 million. The “Dream Team” American flag, possibly due to the lore behind it — Jordan notably covered the Reebok logo with the flag out of loyalty to Nike — prompted a bidding war of 45 bids.
