Are you, like many others stuck inside, utterly obsessed with the new Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance? Then you’ll love this next story! The iconic jersey that Jordan wore at the 1992 Olympics and signed by the legend himself has found a new home – for the incredible price of $216,000!
A Happy Coincidence
Clearly, someone at Robert Edward Auctions (REA) knows about marketing, as the auction giants placed the jersey up for auction the very night The Last Dance began airing on EPSN. The documentary, which focuses on the 97-98 Chicago Bulls season and Jordan in particular, has become a smash hit for the network while everyone remains locked inside due to the coronavirus. While an REA said that the auction date was just a “happy coincidence,” it also seems a little too good to be true. Regardless, within hours, the auction of the Jordan Dream Team jersey became one of the hottest in the world.
“United States Men’s Basketball jersey worn by Michael Jordan as a member of the legendary “Dream Team” that captured the Gold Medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain,” Robert Edward Auctions wrote on the online auction page. “Jordan has inscribed the jersey in black Sharpie (grading ‘8/9’) on the right breast ‘Best Wishes/Michael Jordan’…This is one of only a few Michael Jordan 1992 Olympics game-worn ‘Dream Team’ jerseys we have ever seen, and one of three originating directly from the Michael Jordan Foundation,” the posting continued. And, at the end of the day, it was clear that bidders wholeheartedly agreed REA’s glowing review of the item…
One Expensive, Yet Popular Item
On April 19, after a whopping 64 bids, the auction for the Jordan Dream Team jersey claim to an end. While the bidding started at $25,000, the item ultimately would for $216,000! This is a significant increase from the last time the jersey went up for auction in 2013, when it sold for $53,325. Who knows what it will earn the next time it appears!
For basketball fans, the number likely comes as no surprise. After all, the 1992 Olympic team is one of the most popular of all time, and for good reason. The team was like the Avengers of the basketball world, with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing all playing. Of course, as many will remember, At the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, they all won the Gold medal!
However, while this might seem like an incredible item, and it is, it is not the end-all, be-all Michael Jordan jersey. In fact, believe it or not, the Dream Team jersey is the second-most expensive Jordan jersey ever sold at auction. The highest-priced jersey was his iconic red outfit, worn during the 1984 Summer Olympics. Incredibly, Grey Flannel Auctions sold that item for a staggering $273,904 back in 2017.
While these jerseys are undoubtedly incredible merchandise, more items are sure to crop up as The Last Dance continues to air on ESPN. For fans of the show, keep watching! It will air its final episode on May 18, 2020.
Sources: CNN, High Society, REA