(ESPN) — It’s not the last dance for a famous jersey after all!
A jersey worn by Michael Jordan in Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals — part of the hallowed “Last Dance” season for Jordan that culminated with the Chicago Bulls reigning victorious over the Utah Jazz — has sold for $10.091 million with auction house Sotheby’s.
It is the most ever paid for an item of sports memorabilia, surpassing the $9.28 million paid in May for late soccer legend Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey from the 1986 World Cup.
The “Last Dance” jersey marked Jordan’s sixth and final NBA championship — and his record sixth NBA Finals MVP award — before he retired for the second time.
It is only the second Jordan jersey from the NBA Finals to ever appear at auction, according to Sotheby’s. The previous record for any Jordan item was a 1997-98 Upper Deck Game Jersey patch card, with an on-card autograph, which sold for $2.7 million in October 2021.
Before the Maradona uniform, the most ever paid for a match/game-worn jersey was $5.64 million in 2019 for a Babe Ruth jersey, worn circa 1918-1920.
The previous record for any NBA jersey was $3.69 million, paid in May 2021 for one worn by Kobe Bryant during his 1996-97 rookie season.
Jordan graduated from Laney High School in Wilmington. He then played three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the UNC Chapel Hill Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982.