Michael Jordan's game-worn shorts from Games 3, 4 and 5 of the 1998 NBA Finals — his "Last Dance" with the Chicago Bulls — surfaced at auction for the first time and sold for $216,000 Saturday at SCP Auctions.
On the heels of Netflix's “Last Dance” documentary, Jordan’s jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 Finals sold in 2022 for a record $10.1 million. No pair of Jordan-worn shorts from the series has ever appeared at public auction.
Jordan is believed to have had a preference to wear the same pair of shorts for multiple games, making this pair the last home trunks he ever wore as a member of the Bulls.
Additionally, it is believed Jordan kept his last Finals road uniform from Game 6 at Utah, including the road shorts worn during the series, meaning these are the only shorts available from the 1998 Finals.
The market for game-worn jerseys has surged in recent years, though no shorts of comparable significance have sold in recent years.
Despite jerseys attracting the most attention, SCP Auctions founder David Kohler sees the multi-game wear and comparative rarity of the shorts as a possible value driver. Not to mention one of the owners of a jersey from the series could be tempted to bid on the shorts in order to complete the only full home uniform set from Jordan's last Finals appearance.
A full uniform, including the shorts, photo-matched to five games from Jordan’s 1986-87 season, sold for $480,000 at Heritage in October 2020.
A road uniform, including shorts, photo-matched to two games during the 1997-98 season, sold for $600,000 at Goldin in February 2022.
Sotheby’s listed a pair of shorts matched to 14 games from Jordan’s final season with the Wizards, including his final game against Kobe Bryant, for auction earlier this year. However, that lot was withdrawn.
The pair from the '98 Finals was purchased in the late 1990s or early 2000s by the consignor, during a period when many of the most expensive Jordan memorabilia was first sold via auctions such as the team's CharitaBulls, only later fetching massive sums due to the growth of the market and advent of photo-matching.
These shorts are accompanied by photo-match documentation from both MeiGray and Sports Investors Authentication.
Kohler also believes there could be potential interest from collectors who might not be able to afford a $10 million jersey but would be interested in the shorts at a cheaper price — albeit, one Kohler is certain will set a record for trunks.
What price will that be?
“That’s the million dollar question,” says Kohler, who is not placing an estimate on the shorts yet, due to their unique nature and lack of comparable sales history.
“Could it be $1 million? I don't know. We're gonna find out,” Kohler said. “These Finals jerseys are up to $10 million … the trunks are worth a percentage of that, especially if someone wants to match them up. In that case, one and one makes three.”
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.