Michael Jordan's 1998 Finals Jersey Sells for a Record 12.26 Million Dollars on a Single Irrevocable Bid
A Jordan Game 3 jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals closed at 12.26 million dollars with buyer's premium. Here is how one irrevocable bid set the record.
A New Record for a Jordan Jersey
Michael Jordan's white Chicago Bulls jersey from Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $12.26 million when bidding closed on September 29, 2026. That figure includes a $2.26 million buyer's premium on a $10 million hammer price, and it beats the roughly $10.1 million paid for Jordan's Game 1 jersey from the same series at Sotheby's in September 2022.
The Sale in Numbers
- Auction house: JOOPITER, the platform founded by Pharrell Williams, in a sale titled "Driven to Greatness."
- Estimate: $10 million to $15 million, with bidding opening September 15.
- Hammer price: $10 million, the same as the amount of the single irrevocable bid.
- Final price: $12.26 million with premium. The buyer has not been identified.
What Is an Irrevocable Bid?
The result came from one irrevocable bid, which is a binding commitment to buy an item at an agreed price if nobody bids higher. Nobody topped it, so the jersey went to the bidder who guaranteed the sale. Auction houses use these to lock in a floor before the sale opens, and it means the record was set without a bidding war.
About the Jersey
The white mesh Nike jersey was worn on June 7, 1998, in Chicago's 96-54 win over Utah, the largest margin in NBA Finals history. It carries the 1998 NBA Finals patch, a MeiGray photomatching certificate and a 2015 provenance letter from previous owner Bill Thoma. The auction house says only four jerseys from Bulls wins in that Finals are known to exist, and this is the only publicly known white game-winner from the series.
What It Means for Card Collectors
Game-worn memorabilia and cards are separate markets, but headline sales tend to bring new eyes to the whole hobby. Jordan cards and memorabilia have set several records this year, and a sale like this reminds newer collectors that provenance and authentication drive value as much as the name on the item.
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