A jersey worn by Michael Jordan during Game One of the 1998 NBA Finals, his last championship win in the league, will be put up for action in September and is estimated to fetch between $3 million and $5m, Sotheby's has announced.
The Chicago Bulls jersey, which bears Jordan's number 23, is the second worn by the basketball star during his six title-winning seasons to head to auction.
A college basketball jersey worn by Jordan during his 1982-1983 season at the University of North Carolina fetched $1.38m at auction last year.
Most of Jordan's jerseys from the NBA Finals are privately held, although he donated one worn during the 1996 NBA Finals to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“Jordan Finals jerseys represent the apex of importance in terms of sports relics, a seldom seen but highly desired artefact from the zeniths of Jordan’s career,” Sotheby's said.
Phil Jackson, who was head coach of the Bulls at the time, called the 1997-1998 season as the "Last Dance” and many players knew the team would be disbanded.
Jordan retired after the season ended, before returning to the NBA in 2001 to play with the Washington Bullets.
Jordan's last season with the Bulls was chronicled in the 10-part ESPN documentary The Last Dance, released in 2020.
“The 'Last Dance' was Michael Jordan’s ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete — a testament to him as a competitor, a sportsman, a teammate, and ultimately, a champion,” Sotheby's said.
The jersey will first be put on public displayed in Monterey, California, before heading to New York. The online auction runs from September 6-14.
Jordan is currently the owner of NBA franchise Charlotte Hornets.
