Michael Jordan is one of the most coveted names in the history of sports memorabilia. He has a mythic legacy as a basketball player for his excellence during his career, winning 6 NBA Championships without ever losing in the Finals. He rose to worldwide appeal and became an international mega-star, selling his shoes all over the world and eventually forming the Jordan Brand under the Nike umbrella.
After ‘The Last Dance’ aired in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Jordan’s appeal shot up even more. Jordan memorabilia has always been coveted by sports fans but the prices shot up drastically. Collecting artifacts associated with the career of Michael Jordan is for the super-rich now, as evidenced by a recent auction.
Auction house Sotheby’s listed a 1998 NBA Finals game-worn Michael Jordan jersey for auction and it ended up fetching $10.1 million. The jersey was heavily featured in ‘The Last Dance’, as Jordan wore it in his final playoff series against the Utah Jazz. This jersey has set the record for most valuable basketball jersey, game-worn sports memorabilia, and Michael Jordan item all in the same sale.
A record-breaking day. Michael Jordan's iconic 1998 NBA Finals 'The Last Dance' jersey has sold for $10.1 million, setting records for a basketball jersey, any game-worn sports memorabilia, and most valuable #MichaelJordan item ever sold at auction. pic.twitter.com/7t8G98N5pW
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) September 15, 2022
Why Is Michael Jordan Memorabilia So Coveted?
Recently, ticket stubs from Michael Jordan’s NBA debut were listed for $300,000 at an auction, proving that people will go to incredible lengths to collect notable items from MJ’s career.
The legacy Jordan has as a basketball player is unmatched and will remain unmatched until someone can come in and dominate like him. While LeBron James has rewritten what dominance means through his longevity, he never hits the height Jordan did with his two 3-peats, 10 scoring titles, and winning a Defensive Player of the Year.
Jordan’s age and the trailblazer that he ended up becoming for the NBA internationally help him appeal to anyone that knows anything about sports. His legacy as an athlete is incredible and The Last Dance glamorizing him to an entirely new and younger audience has made him more relevant than ever.
