Michael Jordan’s game-worn jersey from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics sold for $216,000 (approx £174,053) in an auction that coincided with the release of a widely viewed Chicago Bulls documentary.
Robert Edward Auctions, which sells high-end sports memorabilia, confirmed the sale of the autographed, game-used jersey.
It fetched the second-highest auction price for a Jordan jersey.
Bidding opened at $25,000 on April 7 and ended on the night of the premiere of The Last Dance documentary.
“Michael Jordan is arguably the most iconic athlete of all-time, winning six NBA titles and two Olympic Gold medals,” Robert Edward Auctions president Brian Dwyer said in a statement. “Collectors relished a rare opportunity to own Jordan’s jersey from the 1992 Dream Team — the greatest basketball team ever assembled.”
The first two episodes of The Last Dance, a 10-part series about Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, attracted the most viewers for a documentary in ESPN history, the network announced on Monday.
The two 60-minute episodes that aired Sunday night averaged 6.1m viewers, according to ESPN. According to ESPN, its ‘You Don’t Know Bo’ on former two-sport star Bo Jackson was the previous most-watched documentary on its airwaves. That film averaged 3.6m viewers in 2012.
“The Last Dance” features never-before-seen footage of Jordan and the Bullsnfrom the 1997-98 season when the franchise was seeking to win their sixth title in eight seasons. Exploits from other parts of Jordan’s college and NBA careers were sprinkled into the first two episodes.
Part of its allure to viewers was Jordan’s still-legendary status 17 years after he played his final game. Another was the void sports viewers have felt due to the dearth of live events over the past five-plus weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.