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Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals Game 3 jersey sells for record $12.3m

A jersey Michael Jordan wore in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for about $12.3m at Joopiter, a record for Jordan memorabilia. It beat the $10.1m paid for the Game 1 jersey in 2022.

2 outlets · 0L · 2C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: BBC News
Image: Anadolu Agency

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The story, neutrally told

A jersey Michael Jordan wore in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $12.3m (£9.3m), a record for a piece of Jordan memorabilia. The jersey was offered by entrepreneur Ryan Gough and sold through Joopiter, the digital auction house founded by Pharrell Williams, which had estimated it at $10-15m. Jordan wore the white No. 23 jersey against the Utah Jazz on 7 June 1998 at Chicago's United Center, with the series tied 1-1. Jordan scored 24 points as the Bulls won 96-54, and Utah's 54 points remain the lowest total by a team in an NBA Finals game.

The Bulls went on to win the series 4-2 in what was Jordan's last season with the team, for Jordan's sixth championship, and Jordan was named Finals MVP each time. The previous Jordan record was about $10.1m, paid for the red Game 1 jersey from the same Finals; Anadolu says that sale was at Sotheby's in 2022. Joopiter said few objects in sport embody greatness as completely as the jersey. According to Joopiter, only four jerseys from Bulls wins in the 1998 Finals exist, and this is the only publicly known white one to have surfaced.

Joopiter also sold Jordan's customized 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello for $2.7m; the BBC says that is four times the auction record for the model, and Anadolu says the car had reportedly been out of public view for 24 years. The price remains well below the record for game-worn sports memorabilia, the $24.1m paid in 2024 for the jersey Babe Ruth wore when he 'called the shot' in the 1932 World Series.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets report the sale as a straightforward record-setting auction result, leading with the price and the 'Last Dance' link. Neither adds outside comment beyond Joopiter's own description.
Emphasis
The BBC stresses the sterling conversion and the comparison with other records. Anadolu adds game detail (score, stats, venue) and the jersey's rarity.
Leaves out or plays down
The BBC leaves out the game details, the Sotheby's venue and 2022 date of the earlier record, and the rarity claim. Anadolu leaves out the Ferrari's 'four times the auction record' comparison and the sterling conversion.
Charged language
“immortalized”“culmination of an era”
For example
“A Michael Jordan jersey from his 'Last Dance' season has sold for $12.3m (£9.3m)” — BBC News
“Despite setting a record for Jordan's memorabilia, the Game 3 jersey remains well below the highest price paid for game-worn sports memorabilia.” — Anadolu Agency

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.