Michael Jordan's 1998 Finals jersey sells for record $14 million in private sale
Hunt Auctions announced on Monday, 12 October 2026, that a jersey Jordan wore in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals was bought by Miami real estate investor Ron Firman in a private sale. The auction house says it is the highest price ever paid for basketball memorabilia.
The sale
Hunt Auctions announced on Monday, 12 October 2026, that a red, autographed Chicago Bulls road jersey worn by Michael Jordan in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals had sold for $14 million. Miami real estate investor Ron Firman bought the jersey in a private sale that the Pennsylvania-based auction house brokered. According to Hunt Auctions, the price is the highest ever paid for a piece of basketball memorabilia. The auction house also ranks it as the second-largest sale in history for a game-worn sports jersey, behind the $24.12 million paid in 2024 for a New York Yankees jersey that Babe Ruth wore in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, when he hit his "called shot" home run against the Chicago Cubs.
The game behind the jersey
Jordan wore the jersey on 5 June 1998 in Game 2 at Salt Lake City, where he scored 37 points with five rebounds and three assists in a 93-88 Bulls win over the Utah Jazz. That result evened the series at one game apiece. Chicago went on to win the series in six games, the sixth and final championship of Jordan's career. Nine days after Game 2, Jordan collected his sixth and final Finals MVP award, two more than anyone else in NBA history. The 1997-98 season was later the subject of the 10-part documentary series "Last Dance", released in 2020.
- Jordan wears the jersey in Game 2 of the Finals in Salt Lake City, a 93-88 Bulls win
- A private collector buys the jersey directly from the Bulls
- The Last Dance documentary series is released
- A Game 1 jersey from the same Finals sells at auction for about $10.1 million
- Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series jersey sells for $24.12 million
- A Game 3 jersey is auctioned for about $12.3 million
- Hunt Auctions announces the $14 million private sale of the Game 2 jersey
Earlier jerseys from the 1998 Finals
The sale is at least the third time a Jordan jersey from the 1998 Finals has fetched $10 million or more. A Game 1 jersey sold at auction for about $10.1 million in 2022. The previous record for basketball memorabilia was $12.26 million, for the home jersey Jordan wore in Game 3, which sold at auction in September. A Game 3 jersey was auctioned for about $12.3 million last month.
- Babe Ruth jersey, 1932 World Series (sold 2024)
- 24.12 $ million
- Jordan Game 2 jersey (sold 2026)
- 14 $ million
- Jordan Game 3 jersey (auction, September 2026)
- 12.3 $ million
- Jordan Game 1 jersey (auction, 2022)
- 10.1 $ million
Provenance and the buyer's view
Hunt said the jersey was first bought directly from the Bulls by a private collector in 2003 and has changed hands only once since then. Hunt's statement on the sale read:
While Michael Jordan's importance within the sports memorabilia marketplace has long been established, it has now escalated to an elite asset class more typically reserved for iconic works of art.
Firman said in a news release distributed by the auction house:
Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world. I'm very excited about the purchase.
Jordan's final-season items have drawn heavy collector interest. In 2023, a pair of Air Jordan sneakers he wore in Game 2 against the Jazz sold at Sotheby's for $2.2 million.
