Up for sale over at Heritage Auctions is the 1998 NFA Finals backboard and basket, which saw Michael Jordan’s championship-winning shot go in to earn the Bulls their sixth championship.
The current bid on the item is $26,000, and Heritage estimates a sale price over six figures.
Jordan’s 20-foot jumper not only won the title for the Bulls, but the shot was his last in a Chicago Bulls uniform. He also won his sixth NBA Finals MVP in the series.
The 1998 Finals remains the most-watched broadcast in history, with that Game Six the highest-rated NBA game ever televised. That would arguably make the presented example the most recognizable basket and backboard in the sport, the very one that swallowed Jordan’s final shot as a Chicago Bull to stamp the last exclamation point on his peerless career. Though the iconic athlete would once again emerge from the retirement he announced in January 2000 for a last tour of duty with the Washington Wizards, the story of the greatest basketball player of all time effectively ends here, in the glass and metal of this special artifact. The historic backboard measures approximately sixty-eight inches wide by thirty-eight inches high. The glass is about a half-inch thick, with rubber padding at the lower edges, and the logo of the NBA at lower left. The original rim and net remain in place, and the backboard comes complete with the original Delta Center stanchion labeled East Hoop. It’s everything you need to recreate the magic in your own home, and to secure ultimate bragging rights in the highly-competitive world of Michael Jordan collectibles. Third party shipping required.
You can watch highlights from that historic Game 6 — and view this backboard for sale — in the video below:
