Why Did Someone Pay $50,000 for Michael Jordan's Wizards Jersey?

Find out why someone paid nearly $50,000 for Michael Jordan's game-used Washington Wizards jersey at auction.

May 17, 2018

Michael Jordan 2001 Wizards Getty — Forward Michael Jordan #23 of the Washington Wizards looks at the scoreboard during the NBA game against the Philadelphia 76ers at MCI Center in Washington, D.C. on November 3, 2001.
Getty

Tales of people dropping big money on rare sneakers and/or sports memorabilia are hardly unheard of, but nearly $50K on a Michael Jordan Wizards jersey? Sounds preposterous, right?

The sale happened earlier this month on Goldin Auctions, where someone actually dropped a total of $47,872 to obtain the signed and game-used jersey. While the figure may sound surprising on paper, Goldin Auctions founder Ken Goldin tells The Washington Post there's a detail that makes this particular jersey more desirable than many of the "game-used" results that populate other sites such as eBay.

"The jersey fits into a unique class of Jordan jerseys because it’s a photo-matched jersey," Goldin told the paper. "Every Jordan jersey that is photo-matched [has been determined to have been] on his back on a specific day or specific date."

In other words, rather than being simply touted as game-used by MJ, there's photographic evidence to prove not only that he wore it—but when.

According to Resolution Photomatching's findings, the costly jersey was worn by Jordan during a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 18, 2002.

While the nearly-$50K Wizards sale is the most surprising, it wasn't the highest ticket item from Goldin's recent lot. A Bulls jersey worn by Jordan during the 1997-98 NBA season raked in $105,565.