Last Dance’ jersey of Michael Jordan fetches a record $10.1 million

A jersey of basketball icon Michael Jordan has been sold for a record $10.1 million; he wore it in the opening game of the 1998 NBA Finals.

This is the most expensive piece of sporting memorabilia that has been fetched in history. According to Sotheby’s Auction house, the jersey drew palpable excitement from sports collectors and fans. This jersey was reminiscent of a sporting season. It was also chronicled in The Last Dance, a Netflix documentary showing Jordan winning his sixth and final NBA title.

Sotheby's said that a total of 20 bids were attracted by Jordan's Chicago Bulls jersey. Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of modern collectibles and streetwear, said that bidders were "eager to own a rarefied piece of history". The jersey outstripped a previous record of $9.28m, paid for a shirt of football star Diego Maradona. He wore it at the 1986 World Cup. Jordan’s jersey was auctioned with a June 1998 Sports Illustrated magazine, featuring Michael Jordan on the cover.

Jordan is known to many as the best player in the history of basketball. He spent most of his career with the Chicago Bulls and helped raise the profile of the NBA around the world. Jordan put the Bulls up 87-86 with just 5.2 seconds left and secured his final NBA title in his sixth game.