Michael Jordan Used Louisville Slugger Bat | Ahmad Rashad Provenance

From the collection of Ahmad Rashad.

Sotheby's is proud to present this Louisville Slugger bat used by Michael Jordan during his tenure as a baseball player.

The lot is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Ahmad Rashad.

Going Deeper | Michael Jordan and Baseball

In 1994, at the age of 31, Michael Jordan's baseball story officially began as he joined the Chicago White Sox Double-A affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. Jordan, who had not played the sport since his senior year of high school, opted to wear the number 45, just as he had done during his high school days.

Jordan played a total of 127 games, with 3 home runs and 51 runs batted in. He recorded a .290 OBP (on-base percentage).

Three months into his professional baseball career, he hit his first home run (July 30th, 1994) against the Carolina Mudcats in the eighth inning. The home run was one day before what would have been his father’s 58th birthday.  

After the season with Birmingham, Jordan participated in the Arizona Fall League, batting .252. He even reported to Spring Training in 1995. However, Jordan ended up leaving the sport of baseball in early March and returned to the Chicago Bulls with whom he won three more NBA Championships.