Michael Jordan wore this jersey when he changed everything, now it could fetch $100 million
He wore this jersey when he changed everything
M ichael Jordan's Game 3 jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals, the only publicly known white Jordan jersey from that series, is heading to auction. The presale estimate is $10 million to $15 million. The owner thinks it could break every record in sports memorabilia.
There are game-worn jerseys, and then there's this. The white Chicago Bulls jersey Michael Jordan wore on June 7, 1998, during Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz is officially up for auction through JOOPITER , the digital auction platform founded by Pharrell Williams. The sale, titled "Driven to Greatness," opens at 10:00 a.m. ET on September 15 and runs global bidding through September 29.
The jersey carries a presale estimate of $10 million to $15 million, but the current owner, sports investor and actor Rob Gough, believes it could go much higher. He told The Sporting News he thinks it could become the first sports jersey to sell for $100 million.
Why this specific jersey matters
Game 3 wasn't just another Finals game. It was the night the Bulls sent a message that echoed through the rest of the series. With the Finals tied 1-1 after two games in Utah, Chicago returned home and obliterated the Jazz 96-54 . That 42-point margin remains the largest in NBA Finals history. Utah's 54 points still stand as the fewest ever scored in a Finals game.
Jordan finished with 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in just over 32 minutes of play. He didn't need a superhuman performance the Bulls' defense held Utah to 30% shooting and forced 26 turnovers. Karl Malone led the Jazz with 22 points, but no other Utah player scored more than 6.
The Bulls went on to win the series in six games, giving Jordan his sixth championship and sixth Finals MVP. It was the final title of the Bulls' dynasty and the last chapter of what became known as "The Last Dance".
The rarest Jordan jersey in existence
What makes this jersey exceptional isn't just the game, it's the scarcity. Game-worn Jordan Finals jerseys are among the most sought-after artifacts in sports collecting, but this one stands apart: it is the only publicly known white home jersey from the 1998 Finals to have ever surfaced.
Jordan's Game 1 jersey from that same series sold for $10.1 million in 2022, setting the record for a basketball jersey at public auction. That was a red road jersey. This white home version carries an additional layer of rarity.
The jersey features the coveted 1998 NBA Finals embroidered patch on the left chest. It comes with a MeiGray photomatching certificate and an official letter of provenance from Bill Thoma, the former Bulls equipment manager. Photomatching the process of matching a jersey to specific broadcast footage is the gold standard for authentication at this level.
The "Driven to Greatness" auction opens September 15 at 10:00 a.m. ET and runs through September 29. JOOPITER is hosting preview events in New York from September 15-20 and in Los Angeles from September 21-26.
For collectors, this is a rare window. A jersey with this combination of historical significance, verified authenticity, and extreme scarcity almost never reaches the open market. Whether it sells for $15 million or $100 million, one thing is certain: the jersey Jordan wore when he broke the Jazz will now carry a price tag that breaks records too.
