The iconic red shirt of the Chicago Bulls team, with the distinctive number 23 embroidered on the back, is the second shirt worn by the basketball star during his six championship victories to be auctioned.
Sotheby’s said most of the jerseys worn by Jordan at the NBA Finals are privately owned, although the star previously donated one to the Museum of African American History and Culture Smithsonian.
The American basketball legend is now 59 years old. Throughout his basketball career, Jordan accompanied the Chicago Bulls team and in the six times the team won the NBA championship, he was honored as the most outstanding player (MVP). In 2001, Jordan decided to leave the Bulls and join the Washington Wizards for 2 more seasons, before retiring completely.
Jordan’s final season with the Bulls was detailed in the documentary “The Last Dance”, produced by ESPN/Netflix and released in 2020.
In a press release, Mr. Brahm Wachter – head of streetwear and modern collections at Sotheby’s, shared that the 1997-1998 season was probably one of the most memorable seasons. in the hearts of fans of basketball star Michael Jordan, when he reached the pinnacle of his playing style, and at the same time Jordan himself saw it as his last chance to win the NBA championship with the Bulls.
The jersey will be displayed in Monterey, California before being moved to New York City, where basketball fans will have the opportunity to see the jersey in an online auction starting today. September 6-14.
Although Sotheby’s estimated price for the jersey is lower than the record set in May for soccer star Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey, it will is the highest price ever for one of the Jordan player’s artifacts. The “Hand of God” shirt is considered the most expensive sports memorabilia ever sold, priced at $9.3 million.
The New York auction floor – owned by French-Israeli telecommunications tycoon Patrick Drahi since 2019, previously sold a pair of Jordan sneakers for nearly 1.5 million USD.
Michael Jordan is currently the owner of the Charlotte Hornets team – founded in North Carolina, where Jordan lived as a child. This star is said to still earn millions of dollars in royalties every year from selling Nike’s famous Air Jordan sports shoe brand.
