The jersey Michael Jordan wore during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $12.3 million, including the auction firm’s buyer’s premium. It topped the previous NBA record of $10.1 million in 2022 for another MJ jersey during those same finals, featuring the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz.
The most expensive sports team jersey ever sold was Babe Ruth’s “called shot” jersey from the 1932 World Series. It fetched $24.1 million in 2024.
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“I’ve always felt like when I own these things, I’m a steward of a piece of history,” the seller Rob Gough said in a video interview just ahead of the auction close. He’s now redirecting his energy to his latest entrepreneurial venture, the Miami-based World Jai Alai League.
In August, Gough bought the WJAL, which relaunched in 2022. Jai alai matches used to attract 15,000 fans, but a three-year player strike in the late 1980s turned off many supporters. Gough wants to revamp the league’s broadcasting, ticket sales and player storytelling. “I’m going to flip things on its head,” Gough said.
Gough said he started seriously collecting sports memorabilia when COVID-19 hit in 2020. He gained fame when he paid $5.2 million for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card in January 2021. At the time, it was the most expensive known sports card transaction. “Everyone thought I was out of my mind, because it was so high compared to the previous transactions,” Gough said.
It turns out the MJ sale was not Gough’s first eight-figure memorabilia sale. He disclosed during the Sportico interview that he quietly sold the card in early 2023 through a broker. He said he received $12.375 million in an under-the-radar deal. Gough didn’t know what the buyer paid, including any broker’s fee, but it likely would be the most expensive known card sale ever. The current known mark is $12.9 million for a Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Dual Logoman 2007-08 UD Exquisite.
Gough bought the 1998 Finals jersey in 2023 and will only say he paid “a lot” and that it was probably a record for a jersey at the time. The jersey, worn during Jordan’s final season with the Bulls chronicled in the documentary The Last Dance, was sold by Joopiter, a digital-first auction platform founded by musician and producer Pharrell Williams.
“I’ll be at home enjoying a quiet evening with the family and taking it all in,” Gough said. “It’s been a privilege to own this piece of Jordan’s history.”
