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Michael Jordan’s Game 3 jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals was sold by Joopiter for $12.26 million: a new record for one of his memorabilia items.
On October 1, 2026, the auction platform Joopiter announced the sale of the jersey worn by Michael Jordan in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals for $12.26 million, approximately £9.3 million. It is the new record for the most expensive game-worn memorabilia item ever owned by Jordan: it matters because it shows how much the farewell season with the Chicago Bulls, the one that went down in history as “The Last Dance,” continues to drive the market for major sports memorabilia nearly thirty years later.
Those 1998 Finals were Jordan’s sixth NBA title, the last won with the Bulls before his second retirement: the season became famous to the general public especially in 2020, when the docuseries “The Last Dance” chronicled the final months behind the scenes. Every object definitively traceable to those games carries that narrative with it, and is part of the reason why the market continues to pursue it nearly thirty years later.
Auction Figures
The jersey was part of “Driven to Greatness,” the auction held on Joopiter, the digital platform founded by Pharrell Williams, open from September 15, 2026 and closed on September 30. The presale estimate ranged between $10 and $15 million; the final price, including buyer’s premium, settled at $12.26 million. It was sold by entrepreneur Rob Gough, while the identity of the buyer has not been disclosed.
It is a white jersey, worn in the third game of the 1998 Finals against the Utah Jazz, the last series won by Jordan with the Bulls. According to Joopiter, it is the only publicly known white jersey worn by Jordan in a 1998 Finals victory to have ever emerged on the market: an element that helps explain why the jersey reached the highest tier of the NBA memorabilia market.
Joopiter is not a sports auction house in the strict sense: the platform founded by Williams handles fashion, music, design, automobiles, watches, art, and sports memorabilia in the same venue, treating them as expressions of the same collecting culture rather than as separate markets. In the same auction session, for example, Jordan’s 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello also sold for £2 million: an example of how Jordan’s figure continues to attract interest even in collecting categories very different from sports memorabilia.
A Record That Surpasses Another Record
The price beats the previous record for a Jordan memorabilia item: the Game 1 jersey from the same 1998 Finals, previously sold for $10.1 million, approximately £7.6 million. Remaining within the same game series, years apart, with two different jerseys surpassing each other is a sign of how much that single season has become a hunting ground of its own within the sports memorabilia market.
The result still remains below the absolute record for any game-worn jersey from any sport: that belongs to the “Called Shot” jersey worn by Babe Ruth in the 1932 World Series, sold for $24.1 million (£18.2 million) in 2024. Two different sports, two different eras, but the same principle: an object worn at a precise and recognizable moment in sports history is worth more than an object merely signed or preserved.
What to Watch Now
With two jerseys from the same 1998 Finals capable of establishing, four years apart, two different auction records for Jordan, memorabilia linked to his final season with the Bulls remain among the most watched in international sports collecting: every new piece traceable to a specific game can attract particular attention when provenance, photomatching, and historical significance are precisely documented. This also applies generally to those following this market: an isolated record counts only until it is confirmed by another comparable sale, and it is precisely the comparison between Game 1 and Game 3 of the same Finals that shows how the price scale of an icon is built, one auction at a time.
On Collecto, collectibles are divided into shares: you can purchase a share, meaning a portion of the asset, instead of the entire asset, and become a co-owner. The assets are selected by the platform’s experts and purchases are made in the app: how it works is explained on the how Collecto works page.
A jersey worn for two hours on a court can continue to be talked about for three decades.
When a season becomes history, even a single jersey can become an icon
Cases like that of Michael Jordan’s Last Dance jersey show how much a documented sports memorabilia item can be worth. On Collecto you can become a co-owner of sports memorabilia and other collectibles starting from €50, purchasing a share directly from the app.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michael Jordan’s Last Dance Jersey
How much was Michael Jordan’s Last Dance jersey sold for?
$12.26 million (approximately £9.3 million), including buyer’s premium, at the “Driven to Greatness” auction on Joopiter, closed on September 30, 2026 and announced on October 1, 2026. The presale estimate ranged between $10 and $15 million.
Which game is the jersey from?
Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, the last series won by Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, the season known as “The Last Dance.” It is a white jersey: according to Joopiter, it is the only publicly known jersey worn by Jordan in a victory from those Finals to have ever emerged on the market.
Is it a record for Michael Jordan memorabilia?
Yes: it surpasses the Game 1 jersey from the same 1998 Finals, previously sold for $10.1 million (approximately £7.6 million), becoming the most expensive game-worn memorabilia item ever owned by Jordan.
Is it the absolute record for a sports jersey?
No. The absolute record for a game-worn jersey from any sport remains that of Babe Ruth’s “Called Shot” jersey, 1932 World Series, sold for $24.1 million (£18.2 million) in 2024.
Who sold the jersey?
Entrepreneur Rob Gough. The identity of the auction buyer has not been disclosed.
