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Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Finals jersey could go for $5 million at auction

By CNN
Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan (23) and Scottie Pippen (33) are pictured during Game 1 of the NBA Finals vs. the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City in 1998. Jordan’s Game 1 jersey is expected to reach up to $5 million at auction.

A jersey worn by basketball star Michael Jordan during one of the most famous seasons in his NBA career is expected to reach up to $5 million at auction.

Jordan wore the Chicago Bulls jersey in Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, and it will be one of only two of his jerseys worn in a finals game to ever appear at auction, according to Sotheby’s.

The auction house bills it as “one of the most significant items from Michael Jordan’s career.”

“The 1997-1998 season is perhaps one of the most popular among Jordan fans, as Michael was reaching the height of his abilities while simultaneously pursuing what he understood would be his last chance at an NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables, in a press release Wednesday.

“The season itself is his ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete, and a testament to him as a champion and competitor. Finals jerseys from Jordan are remarkably scant, and the 1997-1998 Finals are arguably the most coveted of them all,” he added.

An estimate of $3 million-$5 million is the highest ever for a Jordan jersey, or any piece of Jordan memorabilia, the auction house said.

The 1997-1998 season is known as “The Last Dance,” and was the subject of a 2020 ESPN/Netflix documentary series by the same name.

On June 3, 1998 Jordan pulled on the jersey for a game against the Utah Jazz, scoring 33 points in 45 minutes in a Bulls loss.

The Bulls went on to win the championship despite major internal divisions that had affected their season, with Jordan gaining his sixth NBA winners ring.

Bidding will be open from September 6 to September 14.

In October 2021, a pair of Nike Air Ships sneakers worn by Jordan sold for a record-breaking $1.47 million at auction.

The basketball star wore the red and white sneakers during his fifth NBA game in his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls on November 1, 1984.

The shoes set a world record for the highest price achieved for a pair of sneakers at auction, according to Sotheby’s. They also became the first pair of sneakers to sell for more than $1 million at auction.

The jersey auction follows on from Sotheby’s sale of Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona’s shirt from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England.

The blue jersey was sold to an anonymous buyer for £7,142,500 ($9,284,536), said Sotheby’s, smashing the record for an item of sports memorabilia.

Watch the Washington Capitals on NBC Sports Washington

By NBC Sports Washington Staff
Watch Capitals' season finale vs. Devils on NBCSW originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe Washington Capitals are back on NBC Sports Washington for the 2022-23 season.Don't miss the Caps' quest for a second Stanley Cup championship and Alex Ovechkin's historic chase of Wayne Gretzky. Head coach Peter Laviolette is in his third season at the helm with high expectations where he finally has a bonafide No. 1 goalie in reigning Stanley Cup champion Darcy Kuemper. Can Washington get over the hump for a second time?All season long you can catch games, pregame and postgame coverage with the top insight from those who know the team best. Play-by-play Joe Beninati and color commentator Craig Laughlin are in the booth for their 26th year together of calling Capitals hockey.NBC Sports Washington will also surround all games with live gameday programs Capitals Pregame Live and Capitals Postgame Live. Capitals Pregame Live will be broadcast 30 minutes prior to the scheduled game start. Alexa Landestoy will host a talented and accomplished crew of analysts and insiders, including Alan May, Al Koken and Brent Johnson.NEXT CAPITALS GAME ON NBCSWWhat: Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey DevilsWhere: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.When: Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. ETTV Channel: Capitals vs. Devils will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington. Find your channel here.Live Stream: You can live stream Capitals vs. Devils on NBC Sports Washington's live stream page and on the NBC Sports App.LATEST CAPITALS HEADLINESCapitals' season ends with overtime loss to DevilsWhen is the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs?Lindgren exits with injury as Capitals fall to BruinsCapitals play spoiler, sprint past Islanders to snap skidCaps’ Carlson nominated for Bill Masterton Memorial TrophyCAPITALS GAMEDAY COVERAGE SCHEDULECapitals Pregame Live: 30 minutes prior to the scheduled startCapitals GameCapitals Postgame Live: 30 minutes to an hour following the final hornFULL CAPITALS SCHEDULE:PreseasonSun. Sept 25: Sabres 4, Capitals 3 (OT)Wed. Sept 28: Capitals 3, Flyers 1Fri. Sept 30: Capitals 2, Red Wings 0Sat. Oct 1: Blue Jackets 2, Capitals 1Wed. Oct 5: Capitals 4, Red Wings 2Sat. Oct 8: Capitals 4, Blue Jackets 3Regular SeasonWed. Oct 12: Bruins 5, Capitals 2 (0-1-0)Thu. Oct 13: Maple Leafs 3, Capitals 2 (0-2-0)Sat. Oct 15: Capitals 3, Canadiens 1 (1-2-0)Mon. Oct 17: Capitals 6, Canucks 4 (2-2-0)Thu. Oct 20: Senators 5, Capitals 2 (2-3-0)Sat. Oct 22: Capitals 4, Kings 3 (3-3-0)Mon. Oct 24: Capitals 6, Devils 3 (4-3-0)Thu. Oct 27: Stars 2, Capitals 0 (4-4-0)Sat. Oct 29: Capitals 3, Predators 0 (5-4-0)Mon. Oct 31: Hurricanes 3, Capitals 2 (SO) (5-4-1)Tue. Nov 1: Golden Knights 3, Capitals 2 (OT) (5-4-2)Thu. Nov 3: Red Wings 3, Capitals 1 (5-5-2)Sat. Nov 5: Coyotes 3, Capitals 2 (5-6-2)Mon. Nov 7: Capitals 5, Oilers 4 (6-6-2)Wed. Nov 9: Penguins 4, Capitals 1 (6-7-2)Fri. Nov 11: Capitals 5, Lightning 1 (7-7-2)Sun. Nov 13: Lighting 6, Capitals 3 (7-8-2)Tue. Nov 15: Panthers 5, Capitals 2 (7-9-2)Thu. Nov 17: Blues 5, Capitals 4 (SO) (7-9-3)Sat. Nov 19: Avalanche 4, Capitals 0 (7-10-3)Wed. Nov 23: Capitals 3, Flyers 2 (OT) (8-10-3)Fri. Nov 25: Capitals 3, Flames 0 (9-10-3)Sat. Nov 26: Devils 5, Capitals 1 (9-11-3)Tue. Nov 29: Capitals 5, Canucks 1 (10-11-3)Thu. Dec 1: Kraken 3, Capitals 2 (OT) (10-11-4)Sat. Dec 3: Flames 5, Capitals 2 (10-12-4)Mon. Dec 5: Capitals 3, Oilers 2 (11-12-4)Wed. Dec 7: Capitals 4, Flyers 1 (12-12-4)Fri. Dec 9: Capitals 4, Kraken 1 (13-12-4)Sun. Dec 11: Capitals 5, Jets 2 (14-12-4)Tue. Dec 13: Capitals 7, Blackhawks 3 (15-12-4)Thu. Dec 15: Stars 2, Capitals 1 (15-13-4)Sat. Dec 17: Capitals 5, Maple Leafs 2 (16-13-4)Mon. Dec 19: Capitals 4, Red Wings 3 (OT) (17-13-4)Thu. Dec 22: Capitals 3, Senators 2 (OT) (18-13-4)Fri. Dec 23: Capitals 4, Winnipeg Jets 1 (19-13-4)Tue. Dec 27: Capitals 4, Rangers 0 (20-13-4)Thu. Dec 29: Senators 4, Capitals 3 (OT) (20-13-5)Sat. Dec 31: Capitals 9, Canadiens 2 (21-13-5)Tue. Jan 3: Sabres 5, Capitals 4 (OT) (21-13-6)Thu. Jan 5: Capitals 6, Blue Jackets (22-13-6)Fri. Jan 6: Predators 3, Capitals 2 (22-14-6)Sun. Jan 8: Capitals 1, Blue Jackets 0 (23-14-6)Wed. Jan 11: Flyers 5, Capitals 3 (23-15-6)Sat. Jan 14: Flyers 3, Capitals 1 (23-16-6)Mon. Jan 16: Capitals 4, Islanders 3 (OT) (24-16-6)Tue. Jan 17: Wild 4, Capitals 2 (24-17-6)Thu. Jan 19: Capitals 4, Coyotes 0 (25-17-6)Sat. Jan 21: Golden Knights 6, Capitals 2 (25-18-6)Tue. Jan 24: Avalanche 3, Capitals 2 (25-19-6)Thu. Jan 26: Capitals 3, Penguins 2 (S/O) (26-19-6)Sun. Jan 29: Maple Leafs 5, Capitals 1 (26-20-6)Tue. Jan 31: Capitals 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT) (27-20-6)Sat. Feb 11: Capitals 2, Bruins 1 (28-20-6)Sun. Feb 12: Sharks 4, Capitals 1 (28-21-6)Tue. Feb 14: Hurricanes 3, Capitals 2 (28-22-6)Thu. Feb 16: Panthers 6, Capitals 3 (28-23-6)Sat. Feb 18: Hurricanes 4, Capitals 1 (28-24-6)Tue. Feb 21: Red Wings 3, Capitals 1 (28-25-6)Thu. Feb 23: Ducks 4, Capitals 2 (28-26-6)Sat. Feb 25: Capitals 6, Rangers 3 (29-26-6)Sun. Feb 26: Sabres 7, Capitals 4 (29-27-6)Wed. Mar 1: Capitals 3, Ducks 2 (OT) (30-27-6)Sat. Mar 4: Capitals 8, Sharks 3 (31-27-6)Mon. Mar 6: Kings 4, Capitals 2 (31-28-6)Thu. Mar 9: Devils 3, Capitals 2 (SO) (31-28-7)Sat. Mar 11: Capitals 5, Islanders 1 (32-28-7)Tue. Mar 14: Rangers 5, Capitals 3 (32-29-7)Wed. Mar 15: Capitals 5, Sabres 4 (SO) (33-29-7)Fri. Mar 17: Blues 5, Capitals 2 (33-30-7)Sun. Mar 19: Wild 5, Capitals 3 (33-31-7)Tue. Mar 21: Blue Jackets 7, Capitals 6 (OT) (33-31-8)Thu. Mar 23: Capitals 6, Blackhawks 1 (34-31-8)Sat. Mar 25: Penguins 4, Capitals 3 (34-32-8)Wed. Mar 29: Islanders 2, Capitals 1 (SO) (34-32-9)Thu. Mar 30: Lightning 5, Capitals 1 (34-33-9)Sun. Apr 2: Rangers 5, Capitals 2 (34-34-9)Thu. Apr 6: Canadiens 6, Capitals 2 (34-35-9)Sat. Apr 8: Panthers 4, Capitals 2 (34-36-9)Mon. Apr 10: Capitals 5, Islanders 2 (35-36-9)Tue. Apr 11: Bruins 5, Capitals 2 (35-37-9)Thu. Apr 13: Devils 5, Capitals 4 (35-38-10)
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