A… sweaty jersey, a ticket from a game, and a signed ball or card—for the average person, these may just be ordinary objects. For fans, however, they tend to be items that hold within them some of the most intense moments in sports history. That is exactly what sports memorabilia is: authentic items directly linked to athletes, teams, or historic games—and collectors often spend a fortune to acquire them.
Something similar is expected to happen on September 15, when the jersey Michael Jordan wore in Game 3 of the 1998 Finals will go up for auction. Due to the immense historical significance of that game, this rare artifact could fetch as much as $100 million, making history in the process.
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For those who don’t know, this particular game wasn’t just one of Michael Jordan’s final games in his historic “Last Dance” season with the Chicago Bulls. It was the game that ended with a staggering 96–54 score, setting the largest point differential (42) in NBA Finals history. That night, “Air” played for 32 minutes and raked in 24 points against the Utah Jazz. It is this unique historical context that could easily send the value of the jersey skyrocketing.
Who is behind this auction?
The current owner of this jersey is American actor, businessman, and sports memorabilia collector, Rob Gaff, whose collection includes rare and… extremely expensive items from other sports legends such as Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Brady, and Wayne Gretzky. He “perfectly” explains the reasoning behind these items, saying: “It’s about acquiring pieces that lie at the intersection of the top athlete, the most significant setting, and a defining moment.”
In fact, the jersey from Game 1 of that year’s Finals sold in 2022 for $10.1 million, even though that game didn’t carry the same historical significance and the Bulls had lost. So Gaff came forward and offered his own explanation for the price. “When you buy memorabilia from games where a player lost, people will think: ‘That jersey on the wall… do you remember when Michael Jordan lost that game?’”
*photo source: AP
