The owner of Michael Jordan’s Game 3 1998 NBA Finals jersey has predicted it could fetch a jaw-dropping $100 million — shattering the record for the most costly piece of game-worn sports activities memorabilia ever bought.
Sports investor and actor Rob Gough is promoting the one-of-a-kind white, game-winning jersey 4 years after he bought it, The Post can completely reveal.
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“I think this will be the first jersey to hit $100 million,” he mentioned.
In Game 3, the Bulls beat the Jazz by 42 factors, the report for the largest blowout in NBA Finals historical past. AFP by way of Getty Images
The Post revealed the owner of Michael Jordan’s Game 3 1998 NBA Finals jersey is sports activities investor and actor Rob Gough. Courtesy of Joopiter
Gough went on a “wild treasure hunt” to get his fingers on the jersey — from Jordan’s “The Last Dance” season when he gained his sixth and closing championship with the Chicago Bulls.
The Indiana native mentioned he went on the search as a result of he all the time appears “for pieces that sit at the intersection of the greatest athlete, the greatest stage and a defining moment.”
“It’s not like I knew where it was or it was easy to find … this person led to this person, which led to the other person,” he added.
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“Unfortunately I never got to the actual owner of the jersey, I got to a middle man who probably made millions of dollars [off the sale].”
Gough, 42, by no means came upon who the unique owner was and needed to signal an NDA in the deal, so is unable to reveal how a lot he paid for jersey — which he displayed at his home in Puerto Rico for 2 years earlier than he put it in a vault to maintain it secure.
The jersey was worn by Jordan throughout Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Courtesy of Joopiter
“It’s interesting, because I have a lot of great art. And when people come to the house, they skip right over the art and go right to the jersey,” he mentioned.
“That’s when I realized that this stuff is the new modern art.”
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He determined to half with the jersey — being sold by Pharrell Williams’ auction house Joopiter beginning on Sept. 15 — after realizing it was not being absolutely appreciated.
Gough, 42, had the jersey displayed in his residence for 2 years earlier than he put it in a vault. Courtesy of Rob Gough
“You’re a steward of these iconic pieces of history. When I had it in the house, it was tremendous. But when it was in the vault … what’s the point of being a steward of something if you’re not gonna let people see it and enjoy it?” Gough mentioned.
Jordan’s jersey from Game 1 of the ’98 Finals presently holds the report for highest sale at an public sale, having fetched $10.1 million in 2022 at Sotheby’s.
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“He lost Game 1 … I don’t personally buy games where a guy loses because you’re saying, ‘That jersey on the wall, remember when Michael Jordan lost that game?’ You just don’t say that,” Gough mentioned.
In Game 3, the Bulls beat the Utah Jazz by 42 factors, setting the report for the largest blowout in NBA Finals historical past.
Gough, who just lately bought the Miami-based World Jai Alai League, made a reputation for himself in the collectibles trade after shopping for a uncommon 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card for a then-record $5.2 million in 2021.
“No one knows that I actually sold [the card] for eight figures,” he mentioned. “So this [jersey sale] would be the second at-least-eight-figure transaction.”
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The avid sports collector, who additionally owns the jerseys of GOATs like Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Brady and Wayne Gretzky, mentioned he is uncertain if Jordan is following the history-making sale.
“Oh man, I have no idea. I wish I had the guy on speed dial,” he mentioned, laughing.