From the "Last Dance" to a $15 million auction... Will Michael Jordan's shirt break the record?

A shirt worn by American basketball legend Michael Jordan during one of the most famous moments in his career is heading to auction, amid expectations that it will break the record and become the most expensive basketball shirt ever sold at auction. The white mesh shirt bears Jordan's iconic number "23", which he wore during Game 3 of the NBA Finals in 1998, in his final season with the Chicago Bulls, which was known as "The Last Dance", and was later documented by a famous documentary series produced by "ESBN" and "Netflix" in 2020.

During that confrontation against the American team "Utah Jazz", Jordan gave a decisive performance in front of the Chicago fans, contributing to tipping the balance in his team's favor in the series, before leading the "Bulls" to clinch their sixth title in eight seasons. The historical value of the shirt increases with its rarity. Jupiter Auctions, which is hosting the sale, confirms that it is the only known white jersey available for sale from Jordan's jerseys that he wore during the 1998 finals, making it one of the basketball legend's rarest and most valuable possessions.

Jupiter confirms that the importance of the shirt goes beyond its numbers and statistics on the field, estimating that its value at auction will range between 10 and 15 million dollars, in a deal that may enter the history of sports collectibles. For her part, Caitlin Donovan, global head of sales at the auction platform, describes the shirt as “a piece that collectors wait for their entire lives,” stressing that its value goes beyond basketball, as it is a rare relic that embodies a defining moment in global cultural history.

The “Driven to Greatness” online auction will begin on September 15 and continue until the 29th, amid anticipation of what may be a new record in the sports collectibles market. If the shirt exceeds its minimum estimate of $10 million, it will set a new record to become the most expensive basketball shirt ever sold at auction, surpassing the current record, which is also held by a Michael Jordan shirt that he wore during the first game of the same finals.

In 2022, the red jersey that Jordan wore during that confrontation, which ended in a loss to the Chicago Bulls, was sold for $10.1 million, exceeding initial estimates by more than double. A year earlier, another jersey that Jordan wore during his second season with the University of North Carolina broke an auction record, after its price reached $1.38 million.

It holds the current record for the most expensive sports item sold at auction, baseball legend Babe Ruth's famous "Called Shot" jersey, after it was sold in 2024 for $24.12 million. Ruth wore the shirt during the third game of the 1932 World Series, when he appeared to point to a direction on the field before hitting a ball in the fifth inning that landed in the stands, in an incident that later turned into one of the most famous stories in baseball history.

However, Jordan continues to establish himself as one of the most popular athletes and collectors, with electronic sales of his collectibles consistently exceeding those of many of today's top sports stars. According to Gemrate, a platform that tracks trading card reviews and sales, eBay users spent more than $88 million on Jordan cards this year alone, surpassing all current and former NBA players, and only Los Angeles Dodgers star Shuhei Ohtani is ahead of him on this list.