Michael Jordan has set another record in the world of sports memorabilia, with the jersey he wore during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals selling for $12,260,000 through JOOPITER.
The result establishes the jersey as the most expensive game-worn NBA jersey ever sold at auction, giving the historic piece a new place in the record books for basketball collectibles.
The jersey comes from Jordan’s final championship season with the Chicago Bulls, a period that later became widely known as “The Last Dance.” The 1997-98 season marked the final chapter of Jordan’s first run with the Bulls and ended with Chicago winning its sixth NBA championship.
What makes the jersey particularly significant is its connection to the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan wore the white Bulls jersey during Game 3 of the championship series, adding direct game-used provenance to an already historic piece of basketball memorabilia.
The jersey also carries the official 1998 NBA Finals Championship patch, which is stitched onto the chest. The patch is an important part of the item’s identity and further connects it to the championship series that closed out Jordan’s legendary run in Chicago.
According to JOOPITER, it is the only publicly known white 1998 NBA Finals jersey associated with Jordan to have appeared on the open market. That rarity made the piece especially notable to collectors looking for memorabilia directly connected to one of the most recognizable periods in NBA history.
Jordan’s 1998 Finals campaign has remained a major part of his legacy decades after the championship. The season became the focus of the documentary series “The Last Dance,” which brought renewed attention to the Bulls’ final championship run and the players who were part of it.
The jersey’s auction result shows how strongly that history continues to influence the sports collectibles market. Rather than simply representing a piece of game equipment, the item connects Jordan, the Bulls, the 1998 Finals and the final championship of Chicago’s iconic 1990s dynasty.
Bidding for the jersey officially closed at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, with the final $12.26 million result establishing a new global auction record for a game-worn NBA jersey.
The sale also forms part of a larger sports-focused auction lineup from JOOPITER. Following the Jordan jersey sale, the auction house continued its collection of basketball and sports memorabilia with another highly personal item from the former Bulls star.
Jordan’s personal 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello was scheduled to close on September 30, just one day after the record-setting jersey auction. The car is connected to Jordan’s final years playing in Chicago and adds another piece of his personal history to the auction.
The timing of the two sales gives collectors an opportunity to acquire items connected to different sides of Jordan’s legacy. The jersey represents his achievements on the basketball court, while the Ferrari offers a glimpse into his life away from the game during the same era.
The $12.26 million result also demonstrates the continued demand for historically important sports memorabilia, particularly pieces that can be directly tied to defining moments in an athlete’s career.
For Jordan collectors, the Game 3 jersey combines several factors that rarely appear together in one item: direct game use, an NBA Finals connection, a championship-season provenance and a link to the final title run of his Bulls career.
The 1998 NBA Finals Game 3 jersey was auctioned exclusively through JOOPITER, with bidding concluding on September 29, 2026. Its record-setting sale now makes it the most expensive game-worn NBA jersey ever sold at auction.
