Michael Jordan’s shirt will go to auction next month

Michael Jordan’s shirt will go to auction next month; The shirt worn by American basketball legend Michael Jordan during the first game of the 1998 Pro League Finals when he secured his sixth and final title with the Chicago Bulls will be auctioned in September for an estimated $3 million to $5 million, Sotheby’s announced Wednesday.

The famous red Chicago Bulls shirt with Jordan’s number 23 is only the second to be auctioned out of all the shirts the player wore during his six-time league title between 1991 and 1998.

According to Sotheby’s, most of the shirts Jordan wore in the league finals are still privately owned. However, he donated one to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Jordan (59) spent the bullpen of his career with the Bulls, with whom he won all six of his titles, but returned from his retirement in 2001 to play two seasons with the Washington Wizards.

The Last Dance documentary produced by ESPN and Netflix, released in 2020, detailed his career with the Bulls, particularly his final season.

“Perhaps the most popular 1997-1998 season among Jordan fans, Michael was reaching the peak of his abilities while simultaneously seeking one last chance to be crowned with the Chicago Bulls,” said Sotheby’s statement.

The T-shirt will be shown for the first time publicly in Monterrey, California, before being moved to New York, where fans can watch it during the online auction that runs from 6 to 14 September.

Although Sotheby’s is lower than the May record for the most expensive sports souvenir sold of $9.3 million for the “Hand of God” jersey of Argentine football star Diego Maradona, it will be Jordan’s most costly ever acquisition.

Since 2019, the French-Israeli businessman Patrick Drahi has sold a pair of Jordan’s sneakers for nearly $1.5 million.

The basketball star currently owns the Charlotte Hornets Club near his childhood home in North Carolina, and reports suggest he still earns millions every year from sales of Nike’s Aer Jordan shoes.