Got an Extra P300 Million? Michael Jordan's Game-Worn 'Last Dance' Jersey Is Up for Auction
Mother of god, we're getting one of the most important jerseys the GOAT has ever put on. Sotheby's just announced that it will be auctioning off Michael Jordan's game-worn 1998 NBA Finals jersey this coming September.
“The 1997 to 1998 season is perhaps one of the most popular among Jordan fans, as Michael was reaching the height of his abilities while simultaneously pursuing what he understood would be his last chance at an NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls,” said Sotheby’s Streetwear and Modern Collectables Head Brahm Wachter.
He continued: “The season itself is his ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete, and a testament to him as a champion and competitor. Finals jerseys from Jordan are remarkably scant, and the 1997–1998 Finals are arguably the most coveted of them all.”
His Airness wore the jersey during Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. In six games, Jordan averaged 33.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists to capture his sixth NBA championship and Finals MVP. That finals also gave us the "last shot" of his storied Bulls career in the game six clincher. Yes, he was a bad man.
Jordan, together with that year's Bulls team, were commemorated in the 2020 ESPN/Netflix miniseries The Last Dance. Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, and Luc Longley were featured in the docuseries, as well.
We don't have to talk about Black Jesus' Washington Wizards tenure now, do we?
Would you rather have it washed or nah?
ALSO READ:
A Filipino Artist Sent a Charcoal Painting to Michael Jordan. Now, It's Worth P40 Million
Michael Jordan Once Passed On P350 Million for a Golf Tournament Appearance in the Philippines
Jerseys like these are an extremely rare find at auctions. Jordan jerseys of this magnitude are usually kept in private collections. In Jordan's case, as one of the most important athletes of all time, even his NBA Finals shirts can now be found in museums like the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He donated it back in 2016.
The said finals jersey is estimated to fetch around $3 to $5 million (roughly P300 million). This marks the highest auction estimate for any Michael Jordan memorabilia ever.
In May, Sotheby's had also sold football legend Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup match-worn shirt. Yes, it was the same shirt he wore for the legendary "Hand of God” game against England. It sold for $9.3 million (about P520 million).
As for the GOAT, he's doing just fine as a billionaire businessman-athlete-golfer extraordinaire. We can't say the same about the Charlotte Hornets franchise though. Jordan, the player, would've really hated playing for Jordan, the owner. Anyway, enough with the Hornets slander. They have LaMelo Ball now. For the first time in a while, the future is bright up in Charlotte.
The Jordan jersey will be shown to the public for the first time in more than two decades in Monterey, California from August 17 to 20, before making its way back to Sotheby’s New York from September 6 to 12.
