No team has suffered more at the hands of Michael Jordan than the Utah Jazz. His Airness defeated them in two consecutive Finals series, but the second of those defeats came in their own arena, which made it an even harder pill to swallow. He had one of the best Finals performances ever against them in that fateful game 6, scoring 44 points in 45 minutes, and breaking Utah’s heart by hitting the game-winner over Byron Russell. Even today, Jazz fans attribute Jordan as the only reason their franchise remains trophyless.
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The impact of those series was so high, that when Jordan announced his retirement from the sport soon after clinching the 1998 title on enemy territory. It was the final court Jordan ever graced in his Bulls jersey, and understandably, the floorboard became historic. To make matters worse for the Utah franchise, their beloved homecourt flooring would go on to be one of the most iconic Jordan-related sporting items ever.
Of course, with such an important tag on the court, it soon became a valuable piece of memorabilia for collectors, and soon after his retirement, the court was sold in a private sale. Auction House Sotheby’s reported that in 1999, a trading card company called Upper Deck bought the hardwood flooring panels for a reported value of $1 million in a private sale they had brokered.
That court has not seen the light of day since, so it’s unclear what the card manufacturers were thinking when they bought it. Jordan’s second comeback with the Wizards in 2001 may have spoiled their plans with it, seeing as his return took away some of the value of the court having been blessed by Jordan in his last-ever game.
But despite the eye-watering 7-figure price tag, the court is far from being the most expensive MJ-related memorabilia to be auctioned off. That honor actually belongs to the jersey he wore during game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
Jordan’s jersey sold for a record-breaking $10.1 million
Netflix’s ‘The Last Dance’ recapped Jordan and the Bulls’ 1998 championship season, and what would eventually be Jordan’s 6th and final title. Despite the Bulls prevailing in 6 games over the Jazz, they actually dropped game 1, losing by just three points in a closely contested 88-85 defeat.
Considering that was the last loss Michael Jordan suffered as a Bull. The jersey was auctioned off through Sotheby’s again. The British House reported that in September of 2022, the jersey sold for a whopping $10.1 million. Not only did the price tag make it the most expensive piece of Jordan memorabilia, but the 8 figures paid made it the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia ever sold.
