The Last Dance jersey worn by Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Championships is being auctioned off. But it isn’t his first to go for millions.
A few days ago, it was announced that a Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls jersey will be put up at an auction.
The jersey in question was worn by the NBA champion in Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Many refer to it as “The Last Dance” Jersey, as the 1997-1998 season marked Jordan’s last NBA championship. And as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, it’s no wonder the jersey is expected to go for $5 million.
But this isn’t the first time something of the NBA star’s was auctioned off for a buttload of money. So let’s throw it back to other MJ jerseys that we wish we could have bid for.
University of North Carolina jersey
Let’s start off with an obvious one. His University of North Carolina jersey.
Michael Jordan’s UNC days are where it all began for the basketball legend. He was awarded the Atlantic Coast Confrence freshman of the year, and in 1982, he made the game-winning shot for the NCAA Championship.
He had a successful run with UNC, many fans deciding that this was his jumping-off point into stardom. So, after he went on to win six NBA championships, his UNC-blue jersey became a piece of history.
And one of these pieces of history was auctioned off last year.
The 1983 University of North Carolina jersey worn by Michael Jordan himself was auctioned off for $1.38 million. Jordan wore this jersey on the March 1983 cover of the Sporting News when he was named the best player in the NCAA. So yes, it’s valuable.
At the time of the sale, it was the highest-priced sale of a Jordan jersey ever. But with the Last Dance jersey up for $5 million, that may soon change.
Space Jam jersey
The jerseys that athletes wear in games certainly go for a lot of money, even if the game in question took place in a cartoon world.
One of the best Michael Jordan moves happened on a fictional basketball court—when he stretched his arm so far out to make a game-winning shot in the movie Space Jam. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.
But in all seriousness, Space Jam is an iconic movie. His Airness playing basketball with the Looney Toons against a group of aliens? What’s not to love?
And while the TuneSquad jersey he wore while filming didn’t go for quite as much as his UNC jersey and his Bulls jersey, it still had a starting bid of $10,000 when it went up for auction in 2015.
Whoever bought this must have had plenty to talk about on Halloween that year.
Minor League Baseball jersey
Another Michael Jordan jersey that went up for bidding (and my personal favorite) is his Minor League Baseball jersey. The whole leaving-the-NBA-team-to-chase-his-childhood-baseball-dream thing was honestly an iconic moment for MJ.
For those of you who may not know, after Jordan secured a three-peat with the Chicago Bulls, winning the 1991, 1992, and 1993 NBA championships, he retired from the NBA to pursue baseball. It shocked the entire basketball community.
His late father had always pictured the basketball star as a baseball player, so we can understand the decision. So through the 1993-1994 NBA season, MJ was MIA playing with the Minor League Baseball team of the Chicago White Sox.
Playing for the Birmingham Barons, he recorded three home runs, 51 runs batted in, and 30 stolen bases. Not bad for an NBA player, if you ask me. His stolen bases were the second-most on the team.
But, his time in baseball was very short-lived. In 1995, MJ made his return to the Chicago Bulls.
Having only played in the minor leagues for a very short while, his baseball jerseys are as rare as they come. And a few have hit the auction market, with one of his 1994 jerseys going for nearly $19,000.
With all of Jordan’s pieces that have been auctioned, it’s clear that he can do just about anything. Basketball, baseball, acting—you name it. Lebron is now only a minor league team behind.