May 10, 2021
Jersey Worn by Michael Jordan When He Was a North Carolina Tar Heel Sold For $1.38 Million
The legacy of the man who is considered by many sports fans to be the greatest player to ever put on a basketball uniform and a pair of sneakers continues to grow as another former item of his has sold for over a million dollars!
According to ESPN, a game jersey that was worn by a then-young college athlete named Michael Jordan from his second season of playing basketball at the University of North Carolina has been sold for a reported record $1.38 million on Saturday at Heritage Auctions.
The basketball jersey is the only known Jordan game-worn item from his North Carolina Tar Heels playing days. It’s from his 1982–83 season with the Tar Heels when he was named Sporting News’ NCAA Player of the Year.
The only known Michael Jordan game-worn North Carolina Tar Heels basketball jersey sold for $1.38 million on Saturday with Heritage Auctions. Via @espn https://t.co/dzE5ZtVi98 #MichaelJordan
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) May 8, 2021
The sale from this recent auction broke the previous record set for a basketball jersey worn by a pre-NBA Jordan. Just last October, another auction that Heritage commissioned placed a game-worn Chicago Bulls Jordan jersey up for sale from the 1986–87 season, which sold for a then-record $480,000.
“As the final price tag proves, this jersey has everything any serious collector could possibly want,” said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage.
Ivy also tells USA Today, “It’s got scarcity, it’s one of a kind, it’s photo-matched,” Ivy later told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s a great investment. That’s another angle. … It’s something that you’re investing in. I think this is as solid as it gets. It’s one [of] my favorite pieces we’ve ever handled for auctions. I equate this to buying a Babe Ruth Boston Red Sox jersey in the 1970s.”