Michael Jordan's 1998 Finals jersey to be auctioned for record sum

A jersey worn by Michael Jordan during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, a game where the Chicago Bulls secured a decisive victory over the Utah Jazz by 42 points, is expected to fetch a staggering sum at auction. Investor and actor Rob Gough, the current owner, anticipates the jersey could sell for as much as $100 million, potentially shattering the existing record for a piece of game-worn sports memorabilia.

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I think this will be the first jersey to reach $100 million.

Gough acquired the iconic white jersey from Jordan's "The Last Dance" season, his sixth and final championship run with the Bulls, after an extensive search. He described his quest as a "treasure hunt" for items at the intersection of "the greatest athlete, the most important stage, and a defining moment." The process involved a chain of contacts, as he explained, "one person led me to another, and that person to another person."

Despite his efforts, Gough never directly met the original owner and had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, preventing him from revealing the purchase price. He displayed the jersey in his Puerto Rico home for two years before storing it securely in a vault. Gough noted the jersey's magnetic pull, observing that visitors often bypassed his significant art collection to admire it, leading him to believe that such memorabilia represents "the new modern art."

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I always try to find pieces that are at the intersection between the best athlete, the most important stage, and a defining moment.

He decided to sell the jersey, which will be auctioned by Joopiter, the auction house founded by Pharrell Williams, starting September 15. Gough felt the jersey deserved to be seen and enjoyed rather than kept in storage. "You are the custodian of these iconic pieces of history," he stated. "When I had it at home, it was extraordinary. But when it was in the vault... what's the point of being the custodian of something if you're not going to let people see it and enjoy it?"

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one person led me to another, and that person to another person.

The current record for a game-worn jersey sold at auction is $10.1 million, set in 2022 by Sotheby's for another jersey Jordan wore during the 1998 Finals. Gough specifically chose to auction the Game 3 jersey because it was from a winning performance, stating, "Personally, I don't buy jerseys from games where a player loses because you're saying, 'That jersey on the wall, remember when Michael Jordan lost that game?' That's just not said."

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It was then that I realized that these things are the new modern art.