Michael Jordan's Professional Debut Jersey Sells For Jaw-Dropping Price

That uniform sold for $10.1 million in 2022.

Jordan scored 18 points on that day in October of 1984, and he wore the jersey in his second and third preseason games before it was cast aside. It wound up at a charity auction for the then-Washington Bullets, when someone bought it for $800.

It sold again in 2009, with the description from the Bulls' former PR director of "the very first jersey this organization issued Michael Jordan.” That year, the jersey sold for $66,000 at a Grey Flannel auction.

“You sort of have this virality element where you can own the things from the moment,” said Brahm Wachter, the SVP of modern collectibles at Sotheby's.

“As the social presence for the NBA has grown ... I think that's partially what makes these NBA jerseys so desirable. It's like you can own that moment that you see on social.”

A lucky fan now has the jersey that the greatest of all time wore in his very first steps on an NBA court. We'll see if it sells again for a higher price down the line, but it's certainly a unique piece of sports memorabilia.

In an age of breaks and pack openings for cards, helmets and everything in between, it's clear that a verified historical item can still make headlines for its sale price at an auction.

The most expensive sports-related auction came in 2024, when someone purchased Babe Ruth's iconic "Called Shot" jersey from the 1932 World Series. The jersey was sold for a staggering $24.12 million last August.