On October 12, 2026, Miami real estate investor Ron Firman paid $14 million for an autographed jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan. The private sale was organized by Pennsylvania-based Hunt Auctions. It set a new record for basketball memorabilia.
“While Michael Jordan's importance within the sports memorabilia marketplace has long been established, it has now escalated to an elite asset class more typically reserved for iconic works of art,” said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions.
Jordan wore the red Chicago Bulls road jersey during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals on June 5, 1998. The Bulls faced the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City and won 93–88. The win tied the series at one game each, with Jordan scoring 37 points. The Bulls went on to win the series in six games, earning their sixth NBA championship in eight seasons. It was Jordan’s sixth and final championship with the team. He retired in 1999 but returned to play for the Washington Wizards in 2001 for two seasons.
This is not the first time collectors have paid millions for items Jordan wore during the 1998 Finals. In 2022, a jersey from Game 1 sold for $10.1 million. A year later, a pair of sneakers he wore during Game 2 of the Finals sold for $2.2 million. The sale set a new record for the most expensive sneakers ever sold at the time. More recently, on September 29, 2026, a jersey from Game 3 fetched $12.26 million.
Although the $14 million sale set a record for basketball memorabilia, it is not the most expensive sports jersey ever sold. That record belongs to baseball legend Babe Ruth. His 1932 World Series jersey sold for an astounding $24 million in August 2024.
Resources: ESPN.com, NBA.com, Foxnews.com
