NBA great Karl Malone sold a game-used jersey and pair of shoes from each of his 1992 Dream Team teammates to the tune of $5.38 million on Wednesday night at Goldin Auctions.
The shoes were used in the Tournament of the Americas competition, the ramp up to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The jerseys, meanwhile, were worn in the semifinals game, a 51-point romp against Lithuania on Aug. 6, 1992.
All the jerseys and shoes were personalized to Malone, who tied Patrick Ewing as the team’s leading rebounder.
The set that garnered the most bids and money was Michael Jordan’s. The winning bidder paid $3.03 million for his jersey and $450,000 for his Air Jordans.
BREAKING: the Michael Jordan 1992 Olympic "Dream Team" Game-Used, Photo-Matched, Signed, Inscribed Jersey has sold in our Dream Team Auction.
Final sale price: $3,030,000 🏀🐐 pic.twitter.com/dZY9U2gZDB
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) May 25, 2023
The second-most valuable jersey was that of Magic Johnson’s ($336,000), while the second-most valuable shoes were a Converse pair used by Larry Bird ($91,200).
The successful sale may boost Jordan’s podium worn Team USA jacket, which he wore but only after he famously covered up the Reebok logo. Estimates for that jacket — which will sell at Sotheby’s on June 28 — were $1 million to $3 million.
The listings were agreed upon during an episode of Netflix's King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch that aired in late April.
And the sale comes amid renewed controversy regarding Malone's past. As a 20-year-old sophomore at Louisiana Tech, Malone fathered a child with 13-year-old Gloria Bell, a malfeasance that received amplified criticism after Malone served as a judge and was honored during the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest hosted in Salt Lake City.
