Michael Jordan Jersey From 1998 NBA Finals Sold at Auction for Record $10.1 Million

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Michael Jordan is still breaking records.

The NBA legend's Chicago Bulls jersey, which he wore during the first game of the 1998 NBA Finals, was sold by Sotheby's for $10.1 million, the auction house announced on Thursday. It is the most expensive game-worn sports memorabilia ever sold.

According to ESPN, the price surpasses the $9.28 million paid for soccer legend Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" jersey from the 1986 World Cup earlier this year. The $10.1 million sum for the Jordan jersey was more than double its initial estimate, per CNN.

"[The sale] solidifies Michael Jordan as the undisputed GOAT (greatest of all time), proving his name and incomparable legacy is just as relevant as it was nearly 25 years ago," Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of streetwear and modern collectibles, said in a statement, according to the outlet.

"The season itself is his 'magnum opus' as an athlete, and a testament to him as a champion and competitor," he added. "Finals jerseys from Jordan are remarkably scant, and the 1997-1998 Finals are arguably the most coveted of them all."

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The sale also beats the record for the most money paid for an NBA jersey, which was previously held by a Kobe Bryant jersey that sold for $3.69 million last year, ESPN reported.

"In the weeks since we announced the auction, there's been palpable excitement from not only sports fans, but collectors alike who are eager to own a rarified piece of history," Wachter added.

The 1998 NBA Finals saw the Bulls face the Utah Jazz for the second time in a row. As covered in the ESPN documentary, The Last Dance, the Jazz lost to Jordan and the Bulls during the 1997 NBA Finals, but behind Karl Malone, John Stockton and coach Jerry Sloane, they were seen as potential contenders to end Chicago's championship run.

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Famously, during Game 6 of the Finals, Jordan stole the ball from Malone with 20 seconds left in the game, then dribbled down the court and hit a quick jumper that put the Bulls up by a single point with five seconds left.

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It would be Jordan's final shot as a member of the Bulls, and the one that cemented them as champions.

The 1998 Finals ended with the Bulls as champions for the sixth time in less than a decade. Jordan retired from basketball for a second time following the season and made his return to basketball with the Washington Wizards in 2001.