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Imago

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Imago

Whenever there is a debate about the GOAT of the NBA, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James, are two names that are ever-present. They are arguably two of the best players ever. Even though James has a very different playing style, he is always compared to Jordan. When he first burst on to the scene as a high school player, his athleticism was one of the many reasons fans started comparing him to MJ. He was even dubbed the ‘Chosen One’ as he was expected to emulate the achievements of Jordan.

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Even though MJ has been retired for some time now, he is still one of the most popular. And the recent ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries, has reminded fans about his legacy. Especially to the younger generation who might not have seen him play. Now he has once again proved he is still the most coveted player ever.

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Recently, a signed rookie card of LeBron James was sold for a stunning $5.2 million reportedly. And tied the most valuable sports card ever. Now, MJ’s memorabilia has become the most valuable item of sports memorabilia ever.

The last dance of Michael Jordan

The Michael Jordan memorabilia is the jersey, which he wore from game-1 of the 1998 NBA finals against the Utah Jazz. As per reports, it has been sold for a whopping $10.1 Million, the most ever paid for an item of sports memorabilia. Interestingly, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls lost the game in Utah with a scoreline of 88-85. However, the Bulls won the next game and tied the series 1-1.

The 1998 NBA finals were the final time, Jordan played for the Bulls. There were tensions between the front office and players. Before the 1998 season, the management was thinking about rebuilding the team since their superstars were getting older. This was after the Bulls had won the previous two titles. However, the five-time MVP and other stars felt they had a shot at winning another title.

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And the fans wanted the Bulls to stick with their superstars and to go for a three-peat. After pressure from all sides, the front office decided to push the rebuild for a year. However, head coach Phil Jackson was told that he will not be given a new contract at the end of the season. So this made it a must-win for the players who loved the legendary coach.

Despite losing the first game with a very tight scoreline, the Bulls pulled away winning three straight games. The Jazz nicked game-5 to make it 3-2. Then Jordan and the Bulls took care of business in game-6. With the time winding down, the Bulls were down by 2. MJ stole the ball from Karl Malone and then hit one of the most iconic go-ahead shots to clinch the three-peat.

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Bagavathi Eswaran

1,520 Articles

Bagavathi Eswaran is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports, having a strong passion for the sport since the age of ten. As a former college player, Bagavathi has been following the NBA for more than a decade and has found his calling in writing about the sport. He has used his expertise in covering the NBA, as well as other arenas of the sport, to write more than 1400 articles at ES. Bagavathi's pieces on the increasingly dominant presence of European basketball and those following the journey of women-ballers are particularly noteworthy. Along with being a full-time writer, he is also a part of a group of young coaches groomed as trainers by Junior NBA. Bagavathi has trained players from schools and colleges, as well as underprivileged students who can attend the camps for free.

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Vibhanshu Kumar

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