ZENITH | Sports Artifacts
ZENITH | Sports Artifacts
Lot Closed
April 10, 11:01 PM GMT
Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
PIUBELLO, COTTON JERSEY
Circa 1985
This is one of just 3 jerseys that MeiGray has authenticated from 1985 from Michael Jordan.
After an unbelievable NBA Rookie of the Year season, Michael Jordan – in late August of 1985 – traveled to Trieste Italy for an exhibition game sponsored by Nike. Michael played in Liga A for Stefanel Trieste, and donned this incredible and custom No. 23 orange-and-black Stefanel Trieste jersey.
The game is best remembered as the “Shattered Backboard” game, as the most memorable part of Jordan’s 30 point performance came when Michael – almost flying towards the net – dunked the ball with so much power and force that the entire backboard erupted, spraying shards of glass all over the court. The moment has inspired some of Nike’s most popular Air Jordan 1 releases and is one of the brand’s most coveted colorways.
The jerseys has been authenticated by MeiGray and the signature has been authenticated by James Spence Authentication.
Going Deeper | Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan’s name is synonymous with greatness.
The NBA legend’s unprecedented success as an athlete is well-documented and may never be replicated – 6 NBA championships, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 league MVPs, and 2 Olympic Gold Medals are just a few of Jordan’s on-court accomplishments. Many consider Jordan to be the greatest athlete who ever lived.
Off the court, Jordan’s partnership with Nike to create the massively popular ‘Jordan Brand’ was arguably just as impactful as his basketball achievements. The partnership helped solidify Nike as the world’s biggest sneaker company and ushered in an era of lucrative collaborations between athletes and sneaker companies. His relationship with Nike ultimately helped Jordan become the first NBA player to attain a net worth of $1 billion.