And in the top ranks of the sports memorabilia market, community heroes – basketball legends, in this case – are raking in astonishing bids. The last few auctions have broken all-time records! Michael Jordan's rookie season jersey with the Chicago Bulls was sold for an impressive $4.215 million by Sotheby's. This specific jersey was worn by Michael Jordan throughout the 1984-85 season. It’s authenticated, matched to the games on October 7 & 13, and bears an autograph certified by James Spence Authentication.
A previous record sale was a jersey worn by Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA Finals Game 5. This historic bat brought $4.9 million at auction, showcasing the lasting legacy of Chamberlain’s influence on the evolution of basketball. In other NBA auction news, Kobe Bryant’s jersey from the 2007-08 NBA season stole the spotlight by bringing in $5.85 million from an interested buyer.
Something is better than nothing… The winning bid, though, was for Michael Jordan’s jersey from his “Last Dance” season. That piece of sports history went for the jaw-dropping price of $10.091 million in September 2022. The jersey, photo-match authenticated by Sports Investors Authenticated, continues to be one of the most coveted pieces of sports memorabilia.
In 2009, Grey Flannel Auctions moved the jersey at auction for $66,000. As a marker of how incredibly valuable memorabilia have become, consider this major sale. What makes this jersey so appealing to collectors is the fact that the front of this jersey features this signature signed “My Very Best.”
Reflecting on the significance of these items, a former Chicago Bulls PR director once remarked on the historical importance of such jerseys:
"If that jersey has a number and name change, sounds like you have the very first jersey this organization issued Michael Jordan."
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