Billionaire Michael Jordan’s Latest Closed Room Activity Could Bolster His Bank Account, but the Bulls Legend May Have Other Plans

People can have the GOAT debate regarding Michael Jordan but one undisputed thing is his influence. His aura is unreal not only for the fans but for other great basketball players too. It was when Jordan showed up during the 75th Anniversary Team and the rest of the 74 players’ reaction told the story. Iverson said, “I remember the reaction from them like I was looking at it like yo this man is the man for real.” And the craze can be estimated from his sales of not only Jordans but other products as well.

The 6x NBA champ has strongly captured the market. And no matter the price, the buyers for his collectibles are there as long as the item is even remotely related to ‘His Airness‘ legacy. Last night, a signed Michael Jordan trading card sold for $2.9M—breaking a record held by another MJ card. It’s part of a growing trend as Jordan’s memorabilia continues to break its own records. Jordan has not said if he would use the money for himself or give it away to charity.

Recently, Jordan did a private signing for 10 of his Fleer rookie cards, which were graded a 10 by PSA, as was his autograph. With the representative of PSA present, they graded both the card and the signature 10. It was the first time in the company’s 30-year history. According to Alex Schiffer, Front Office Sports noted that the market for Jordan-related memorabilia has “skyrocketed” since ESPN aired The Last Dance documentary series in 2020.

Ryan Hoge, PSA’s president, told FOS that Jordan was the company’s most-graded athlete across all sports in 2022 and ’23, with more than 350,000 combined submissions.

What else is part of Michael Jordan’s memorabilia

Regarding the card, the closest PSA has seen is a Jordan rookie, where the card was graded an eight and the autograph was a nine. The card sold for $205,000. Hoge said the 10/10 cards will go to auction later this summer as the first of their kind ever in the market. Some other cards with high selling prices include 2008/09 Skybox Metal Universe Michael Jordan #23 ($222,630), 1998/99 Upper Deck “Jordan Jersey Autographs” #MJx-GJ ($288,000).

In April 2023, a pair of game-worn shoes from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $2.24 million, breaking the sneaker auction record for the third time since 2020. The following month, a game-worn autographed Jordan jersey from the 1992 Olympics’ Dream Team sold for $3 million. Yet, the highest item was his jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $10.1 million. This was sold in January 2023.

“For a century, Babe Ruth has been the leading athlete in terms of value in … baseball and pretty much in all of sports,” says Leila Dunbar, a sports memorabilia appraiser for Antiques Roadshow. “Jordan is pretty much the first athlete to come up to a level near Ruth.”

The Chicago Bulls legend would continue to grow his portfolio thanks to his contribution to the game. Plus, his mystique personality that he keeps away from the limelight makes the items more intriguing.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.