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A game-worn Michael Jordan jersey from his sophomore season at North Carolina sold for $1.38 million, more than three times the previous record for a Jordan jersey, on Saturday at Heritage Auctions.
It is the only known jersey photo-matched to Jordan’s 1982-83 season when he was named Sporting News’ NCAA player of the year, one season after hitting the national title-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Tournament as a freshman.
He averaged 20 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 36 games in 1982-83, his second of three seasons with the Tar Heels before he left for the NBA.
“As the final price tag proves, this jersey has everything any serious collector could possibly want,” Heritage director of sport auctions Chris Ivy said in a release.
The same jersey sold for a then-record $63 500 at auction in 1999.
In October, a full game-worn Chicago Bulls uniform from Jordan’s second NBA season in 1986-87 sold for $480 000 at Heritage Auctions.
The vast Jordan merchandise empire, from retail goods to collectables and game-used relics, has always enjoyed demand because of his status as arguably the greatest player in NBA history (and among global athletes overall).
That demand accelerated, particularly for the universally popular Nike Air Jordan brand sneakers, since the ESPN/Netflix “The Last Dance” documentary aired last spring.
Simultaneously, the surge in interest in sports collectables since the pandemic began in March 2020 has fueled increased demand for Jordan-related trading cards, particularly his 1986 Fleer rookie card, and related memorabilia. Auction sites have experienced a pandemic-era boom for sports items, and record sales prices are seemingly set every week.
Game-worn jerseys remain popular with collectors, and prices keep rising with the sports collectables surge. In recent years, buyers have spent nearly $338 000 for a Kobe Bryant NBA Finals jersey; $230 000 for a Jordan jersey from the 1998 title season and $216 000 for his 1992 Olympics uniform top; and a LeBron James All-Star Game jersey went for more than $630 000, per media reports.
But the record for a jersey sale was set in June 2019 at $5.64 million for a Babe Ruth jersey that he wore sometime between 1928-30, per ESPN, and that topped a $4.4 million Ruth uniform from 1920. – The Athletic
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