Jordan's 1998 Finals Jersey Could Fetch $100M, Owner Predicts

A white jersey Michael Jordan wore during one of the most lopsided victories in NBA Finals history is headed to auction, and its owner thinks it could become the single most valuable piece of sports memorabilia ever sold. The garment, worn by Jordan during the Chicago Bulls' 96-54 demolition of the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, is set to go up for online bidding next month through an auction titled Driven to Greatness.

The sale is being run by JOOPITER, the online auction platform founded by Pharrell Williams, with bidding scheduled to open September 15 and close September 29, according to Sports Illustrated. JOOPITER has set an official presale estimate of $10 million to $15 million for the jersey, a figure grounded in what basketball memorabilia has fetched at auction before. As reported by CBS News Chicago, the jersey is expected to fetch up to $10 million once bidding wraps.

Current owner Rob Gough, an actor and sports memorabilia investor who acquired the jersey through a private broker, has publicly predicted a far bigger number. Gough has said the piece could become the first item of sports memorabilia to ever sell for $100 million, a figure that dwarfs the auction house's own projection, per BroBible.

A Blowout for the Record Books

The jersey's value is tied directly to what happened on the court on June 7, 1998, when Jordan wore the white home uniform during a 96-54 rout of the Jazz at the United Center. Utah's 54 points stand as the lowest total ever scored by a team in an NBA Finals game, and the 42-point margin remains the largest blowout in Finals history, the same Sports Illustrated report notes. Chicago went on to close out the series 4-2, completing the franchise's second three-peat.

Jordan's own performance that night backed up the lopsided final score. He played 32 minutes and put up a game-high 24 points, adding four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block as the Bulls took a 2-1 series lead, according to GMA Network. Jordan averaged 33.5 points per game across the six-game series, per the same outlet.

Chasing a Record Jordan Already Holds

Whatever the Game 3 jersey ultimately fetches, it will be measured against a benchmark Jordan already set for himself. The current auction record for any game-worn basketball jersey is $10.091 million, paid in September 2022 for the red Chicago Bulls road jersey Jordan wore in Game 1 of that same 1998 Finals, a sale handled by Sotheby's and detailed by Fox Sports. That Game 1 jersey had carried a presale estimate of just $3 million to $5 million before 20 bids pushed it past eight figures.

Even a repeat of that result would fall well short of the overall record for game-worn sports memorabilia at public auction, which belongs to Babe Ruth. His 1932 World Series “Called Shot” jersey sold for $24.12 million in 2024, surpassing Jordan's Game 1 jersey to claim the all-sport crown, BroBible reports.

Proving It's the Real Thing

Authenticating a 27-year-old game-worn jersey at this price point requires paperwork as much as provenance. The Game 3 jersey comes with a photomatching certificate from MeiGray Group, an industry leader in matching game-worn uniforms to specific broadcast footage, along with a 2015 letter of provenance signed by previous owner Bill Thoma, according to Sports Collectors Daily. JOOPITER says that documentation confirms it as the only known white 1998 NBA Finals jersey currently available to the public.

Sports memorabilia experts point to structural scarcity as another driver of the jersey's value. Unlike modern stars such as LeBron James or Stephen Curry, who cycle through jerseys as part of formal authentication and retail programs, players in Jordan's era were not issued new uniforms every game or two, the GMA Network report notes. That makes surviving, game-worn pieces from the 1990s meaningfully rarer than comparable items from today's NBA.

Where Fans Can See It Before Bidding Opens

Prospective buyers and curious fans alike will get a chance to see the jersey in person before online bidding begins. JOOPITER has scheduled public preview exhibitions from September 15 through 20 at 16 Morton Street in New York City, followed by a run from September 21 through 26 at Canon Collectibles in Los Angeles, per Complex. Such previews are standard practice for high-profile auction items meant to draw international collector interest.

The jersey's appeal also rests on the larger cultural weight of the 1998 Finals, which remains the most-watched Finals series in league history and closed out the Bulls' run of six championships in eight seasons before the roster was broken up. That run, chronicled in the “Last Dance” era of Jordan's career, continues to fuel demand for memorabilia tied to Chicago's dynasty years — a market Hoodline has tracked before, including the $8 million sale of his championship sneakers in 2024.