Have you ever longed for a piece of the Chicago Bulls’ dominant nineties? That dream may now be within reach—so long as your budget matches your nostalgia.
Scottie Pippen, six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls, has engaged Sotheby’s to present a selection of his personal memorabilia to the market. Among the offerings is the jersey he wore in the championship-clinching game of the 1998 NBA Finals.
Named “The Scottie Pippen Collection,” the auction is scheduled to start in March and will feature items Pippen personally wore across his 17-year NBA career. The collection is expected to exceed $6 million in value, with individual lots estimated from $30,000 to more than $1 million.
Highlight: Michael Jordan’s Dream Team shoes
Foremost among the lots is a pair of Air Jordan VII sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during the gold-medal game of the 1992 “Dream Team” at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Pippen recalls that, as the team gathered their effects in the locker room after the match, he made a simple request of Jordan: his shoes.
“I asked him to sign them,” Pippen said, noting that teammate Charles Barkley promptly added, “well, give me that jersey.”
The shoes are valued at between $1.5 million and $2.5 million.
Other rare items: Larry Bird jersey
Pippen cited that he has only ever retained two items obtained from fellow players: the Jordan shoes and a jersey belonging to Larry Bird, both from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The Bird jersey will likewise be offered in the sale.
Pippen’s collecting journey
In an interview with Bloomberg, Pippen reflected that he began keeping his uniforms as a boy. “Eventually great things were happening,” he said. “Whether it was winning a championship, being part of an All-Star team, or part of the Dream Team, I realised I was collecting a lot of valuable items.”
Pippen described that the timing felt perfect to consolidate his collection and feature the items. “I felt like I had spent the time with it,” he said. “I was kind of over it. For me, I’ve seen enough of 33 (his jersey number, ed.).”
