NEW YORK (Reuters) – Michael Jordan’s game-worn red jersey from the 1996-1997 basketball championship season with the Chicago Bulls sold for $4.68 million at Sotheby’s in New York on Monday (November 4) as part of the 'Colossal – The Ultimate Jordan Collection' auction.
Sotheby's sports specialist Brendan Hawkes had expected the "unicorn" item to sell from anywhere between $4 and $6 million before it was put up for auction in October.
Jordan wore the jersey during at least 17 games, most notably, the game on 12 March 1997 when then-rookie Allen Iverson crossed over Jordan, creating an iconic highlight in basketball lore, according to Hawkes.
Most of the time, Jordan would use a jersey for just one game.
In addition to the red jersey, Sotheby's also auctioned five other Michael Jordan "relics," including two white Chicago Bulls jerseys, a flag that the player wore when he received his gold medal in the 1992 Olympics, and a warm-up top and sneakers from his days at the University of North Carolina.