By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A game-worn and signed Larry Bird jersey with the senior national team of the United States from the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games took center stage at Sotheby’s this week, fetching a staggering $896,000, as reported by The New York Times.
Bird wore the historic threads during the Dream Team’s final group-stage victory over Spain. The sale led a landmark auction of the Scottie Pippen Collection, a massive 71-item archive that realized a total of $6.2 million from bidders spanning 32 countries.
The 1992 Games marked the first time NBA superstars competed on the world stage, and the Dream Team’s overwhelming dominance permanently altered the international perception of the sport.
While Bird’s jersey exceeded expectations, the auction provided a rare moment of market recalibration for Michael Jordan memorabilia. A pair of autographed Air Jordan VII sneakers, worn by Jordan during the gold medal game and gifted to Pippen in the locker room, sold for $640,000. This figure fell significantly short of Sotheby’s pre-auction estimate of $1.5 million to $2.5 million, signaling a shift in collector appetite.
The event served as a definitive retrospective of the Chicago Bulls’ 1990s dynasty. High-value sales included Pippen’s personal set of six Tiffany & Co. NBA championship trophies, which commanded $640,000, and his game-worn 1997 “Flu Game” jersey, which realized $486,400. Other highlights featured Pippen’s championship-clinching jerseys from the 1996 and 1998 Finals, reinforcing the global cultural movement Pippen helped spearhead alongside his teammates. For the gathered bidders, the Bird jersey remained the collection’s undisputed crown jewel.