This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/4/2020
Michael Jordan was entering his 4th NBA season having just completed a campaign so prolific that basketball experts were already throwing around the "greatest of all-time" label. OK, that might have been a bit premature, but his league-leading 37.1 points per game put him in exclusive company with Wilt Chamberlain as the only players ever to surpass 36 points per game in a season. "MJ" would go on to lead the league in scoring for the next six consecutive seasons, each season averaging over 30 points per game. After an almost two year hiatus to play baseball, Jordan led the league in scoring the next three seasons. Had he not played baseball, it's conceivable that he would have been the league's scoring leader every year from 1986-1998, retiring while still at the top of his game. Not to mention appearing in six NBA Finals and walking away with the championship every time! Other players have been more physically dominant, or better shooters, or won more championships, but no one was better or had more determination to win than Michael Jordan. Sporting more nicknames than Apollo Creed had in "Rocky," Jordan entered the 1987-88 season as the unequivocal king of the hardcourt and proved it by earning the first of his five NBA MVP awards, averaging 35 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game while leading the league in scoring and steals. In that 1987-88 season, Jordan topped the 50 point mark four times and surpassed 40 points in 14 games. Presented is an amazing item that rightly could be hanging on display in the Basketball Hall of Fame but instead will join a world-class collection, or catapult a collection to the status of world-class. The featured jersey and shorts were worn by Michael Jordan during the run to his first MVP season, a Sand-Knit size 44 +3 jersey with Sand-Knit 36 +2+2 shorts. The jersey has the proper Sand-Knit exclusivity label, size 44 label, and team swatches "87" and "3" LB" attached on the front left tail, while the shorts have the Sand-Knit labels and team swatches "87", "23", "2" HR", and 2" LI" inside the waistband. All measurements are exact to Jordan's specifications, and the uniform shows moderate to heavy use with no alterations of any kind. So completely satisfied as to its authenticity, MEARS assessed the jersey with a perfect score of A10 with an addition LOA from Alan Meza, noted expert on Chicago Bulls uniforms, who writes on his LOA that “to the best of my knowledge, this uniform is authentic in every way." When you see Babe Ruth game-used jerseys hauling in millions of dollars and realize that Michael Jordan may never be replaced as the closest thing to the Babe Ruth of basketball, this becomes an incredible opportunity to acquire not only an amazing piece of American history but one that has the potential to grow exponentially in value with time. LOA from Troy Kinunen/MEARS with a grade of A10, and Alan Meza.