The iconic jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan during the opening match of the 1998 NBA Finals was auctioned for a record $ 10.1 million (£ 8.86 million).
The Chicago Bulls vest was famously worn during a sporting season dubbed The Last Dance, which saw Jordan win his sixth and final NBA title.
It became the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia worn by the game in history, eclipsing the £ 7 million paid for Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt. worn during the 1986 World Cup.
The Rossoneri shirt, emblazoned with the number 23, is also the most precious Michael Jordan object ever sold at auction.
It’s also the best-selling baseball jersey, meaning the former pro basketball ace broke three new world records without setting foot on the pitch.
The Nike mesh vest was listed on the New York auctioneer’s website Sotheby’s as “in excellent condition consistent with use.”
The winning bid was more than double the estimated $ 3 million (£ 2.6 million) to $ 5 million (£ 4.4 million).
The shirt was accompanied by a photo matched with the certificate of authenticity and a copy of Sports Illustrated published in June 1998, showing the shirt on the cover.
The Sotheby’s website also shows a previous batch, a pair of Nike Air Jordan 9 “Player Sample” baseball shoes that sold at auction yesterday for more than $ 44,000 (£ 38,636).
Jordan pictured during the NBA Finals in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June 1997 Pic: AP
The size 13.5 black and white boots were cut to Jordan’s specifications in 1994, months after he shocked the basketball community by announcing his retirement from the sport after three consecutive NBA championships on October 6, 1993.
He threw fans a curveball after revealing his intention to change sports, embarking on a short stint as a professional baseball player.
But the athlete returned to the NBA and the Chicago Bulls in 1995, just nine days after retiring from baseball.
In 1999, he retired from basketball for the second time, insisting that he was “99.9% sure” that he would not return.
The vest is the most valuable Michael Jordan item ever sold at auction
But two years later, in 2001, Jordan returned to the basketball court again, retiring for the third and final time in 2003.
Another pair of Nike Air Ship trainers, worn during Jordan’s fifth NBA game on November 1, 1984, sold for nearly $ 1.5 million (£ 1.3 million) in October last year. .
Sotheby’s head of streetwear Brahm Wachter said the sale “consolidates Michael Jordan as the undisputed GOAT, proving that his name and incomparable legacy are as important as they were nearly 25 years ago.”
Jordan, now 59, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2009.
