Michael Jordan's Jersey From Game 1 Of The 1998 NBA Finals About To Go For A Bag

TMZ- Michael Jordan's game-worn jersey from his last NBA Finals win is hitting the auction block -- and if you're interested, you better have deep pockets... 'cause it's estimated to sell for over 3 million bucks!!

TMZ Sports has learned this Chicago Bulls gear is from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals  -- also known as MJ's iconic "Last Dance" season.

MJ wore the red jersey when he banked 33 points against the Utah Jazz -- and even though the Bulls lost, they ultimately won the series, 4-2  -- Jordan's 6th NBA championship.

The Last Dance dominated pop culture in the summer of 2020. It was also a time of no sports in the country, and people needed something to grasp onto so bad that they moved up the air dates. The 10 part series had unseen footage from behind the scenes of The Chicago Bulls final championship run, as well as interviews with everyone involved. It's very much pro Jordan and slants the story in his favor as he had a major voice in the project, however it's extremely rewatchable and offers Jordan in some of his most vulnerable interviews. 

It's no surprise that Jordan memorabilia fetches big prices, and that was before this documentary. The Last Dance only intensifies the demand for MJ collectibles. An MJ game used Game 1 1998 jersey is hitting the market and expected to reach anywhere from 3-5 million dollars. It's 1000% a coveted collectible and would wow anyone with eyes and a pulse if you saw it in their basement, man cave, or sports collectible room. 

It does however make me think of one burning question... 

"If the Game 1 jersey goes for 3-5 million, how much would the Game 6 jersey go for?" 

That is likely an unanswerable question, however that's got to be in the pantheon of sports memorabilia right ?  

Now when you think about sports memorabilia, the great thing is that each fan base can have things that matter the most to them. For example, David Tyree's helmet would be HUGEEEEE for Giants fans, the trombone from the Stanford-Cal game aka "The Play" would be awesome for college football fans but both of those are niche markets. 

The thing about Jordan is even as a lifelong Knicks fan myself I have to admit, Jordan appeals to everyone. That makes his collectibles that much more desirable. Everyone, even fans of teams who had their hearts ripped out by Jordan, respects him as the greatest and knows owning any piece of his career, especially one in his most famous moment would be something they would obtain if they could. 

I say 10-20 million, and I'm probably low balling. 

Final followup question, who is on the short list of athletes that no matter if you were a fan or not, their collectibles are something everyone would want to own? 

My list (which I look forward to debating) in no order:

MJ, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Ken Griffey JR, Kobe Bryant Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, and Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Lebron James. 

Major name that jumps out and my final question - Is Lebron on that list yet ? (You know this couldn't be a Jordan blog without touching on Lebron). 

I look forward to the debates… also shoutout whoever wins this auction. Monster flex to have that jersey in your house.