The first jersey Michael Jordan ever wore on an NBA court — albeit in a 1984 preseason game — went to auction last week at Sotheby's.
With that historic artifact hitting the market, cllct got to thinking about all the best Jordan jerseys to ever surface at auction.
From the Tar Heels to the Olympics to the Bulls and Wizards (and Stefanel Trieste?!?), our latest cllct 10 list focuses on MJ's most important gamers.
1. 1983 North Carolina jersey
Among the earliest Jordan jerseys to ever hit the market, the North Carolina jersey he wore during his sophomore season ranks near the top of the list. Jordan also wore the blue road uniform on the cover of The Sporting News when he was named Player of the Year in 1983.
After a December 1983 game in the Stanford Invitational, a high school student named Chris Williamson, who was working as Stanford’s visiting team manager, told his friend and fellow team assistant, Steven Cauchi, he had traded some Stanford gear for UNC jerseys, shorts and socks.
“He showed me the stuff on the way home from the game, and that was when I saw that he had obtained MICHAEL JORDAN'S jersey,” Cauchi wrote in a letter of provenance. “The jersey was still soaking wet with sweat. I made the comment to Chris that maybe if he rubbed a little of Michael Jordan's sweat on his shoes, he might be able to jump like Michael Jordan. When we got to my house, he gave me Sam Perkins' shorts and a pair of the Tar Heel game socks."
The jersey was originally sold at auction in 1999 for a record $63,500. It sold at Heritage Auctions in May 2021 for $1.38 million.
2. 1984 Olympics jersey
As part of the last U.S. amateur-only team to win a gold medal in the Olympics, Jordan wore the No. 9 jersey in the tournament, which he led the team in scoring with more than 17 points per game. Grey Flannel sold the red U.S. jersey for $273,904 in 2017.
3. First NBA contract signing
Chicago Bulls GM Rod Thorn presented Jordan with his first official Bulls jersey following his contract signing Sept. 12, 1984. Jordan held the jersey up in front of a sea of reporters and photographers during the news conference.
It has sold multiple times over the years, including for $320,000 in 2020 at Julien’s Auctions and for $513,985 via Rally in 2024.
Sotheby’s will sell Jordan’s pre-season debut jersey this spring, with an estimate around $10 million.
RELATED STORIES:
- Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant debut jerseys go to auction with $10 million estimates
- Rare Michael Jordan auto card to fetch more than $100k at auction
- Michael Jordan's love letter from high school up for auction
- Michael Jordan Red Precious Metal Gems sells for $378k
- Michael Jordan jersey from '98 playoffs highlights Sotheby's first Saudi Arabia auction
4. NBA preseason debut jersey
The only photo-matched game jersey from Jordan’s rookie season in 1984, MJ donned this red Rawlings Bulls jersey in his first NBA preseason game against the Indiana Pacers in front of a crowd of 2,000 in Peoria, Ill.
Due to budget constraints, the jersey actually was originally worn by at least one other Bulls player. When Jordan came along, the team repurposed the jersey — removing the previous player’s number and name from the back and replacing it with Jordan’s —and remains of that switch can still be seen on the jersey today as dark stains.
First sold in a charity auction in May 1985, it most recently fetched $66,000 at Grey Flannel in 2009.
5. "Shattered backboard" jersey from 1985
After his rookie season in 1984-85, Nike brought Jordan to Italy, where he played an exhibition game in Trieste. Playing in Liga A for Stefanel Trieste, Jordan threw down a dunk so powerful he shattered the backboard, showering glass over his opponents.
The orange-and-black jersey he wore during that legendary moment would become the inspiration for the Jordan Brand “Shattered Backboard” colorway.
Sotheby’s sold the jersey for $571,500 in 2024.
6. 1988-89 home jersey
Jordan game-used and photo-matched jerseys from the 1980s are incredibly rare, with photo-matching leader MeiGray authenticating just four jerseys (our of more than 130 submissions) from the 12 seasons prior to 1997-98.
MeiGray matched a 1988-89 jersey to 10 games, including three 50-point outings and an undated playoff game in the 1989 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks.
Sotheby’s sold the jersey for $1.08 million in November 2024.
7. Dream Team jersey
Possibly Jordan’s most famous non-Bulls jersey, his 1992 Olympic “Dream Team" No. 9 Team USA jersey, worn in the semifinal game against Lithuania, was given to Karl Malone following the Olympic Games.
Goldin sold the jersey in 2023 for more than $3 million.
8. 1996-97 jersey
Described as “the most extensively worn Michael Jordan Bulls game-worn jersey ever submitted to MeiGray Authenticated,” the jersey has been photo-matched to at least 17 games across five months during the 1996-97 season, including notable games such as “The Crossover” on March 12, 1997, in which Allen Iverson pulled off his iconic move against Jordan.
Sotheby’s sold the jersey for $4.68 million in October 2024.
9. "Last Dance" NBA Finals jersey
Jordan’s jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals — one of just two Jordan jerseys from NBA Finals to sell publicly (the other being from Game 3 of the same series, selling for around $105,000 in 2015) — set a record for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia of all time when it sold for $10.1 million in 2022.
10. Final NBA game jersey
Though Jordan will forever be remembered in a Bulls jersey, he played his final NBA game for the Washington Wizards in 2003.
The jersey he wore during that final game (and for more than a dozen games throughout the season) sold for $570,000 in 2021 at Goldin.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.