Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Playoffs ‘The Last Dance’ Game Worn Jersey | Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 2

“The Last Dance” as it’s called, was Michael’s final season with the Chicago Bulls (1997-1998) and is perhaps the most beloved period in Jordan folklore, as Michael reached the apex of his popularity and powers while simultaneously conquering major internal divisions that were fracturing the team dynamics of the late 90s Chicago Bulls. The season is referred to as The Last Dance due in large part to the smash-hit ESPN documentary by the same name, which chronicled the Bulls efforts in the 1997-1998 season. The players were cognizant that the Bulls franchise would ultimately be disbanded at the end of the season and as such, knew it was their final opportunity to capture a 6th Bulls Championship. The Last Dance was Michael Jordan’s ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete – a testament to him as a competitor, a sportsman, a teammate, and ultimately, a champion.

A theme prevalent throughout Jordan’s career was his unyielding competitiveness. Vengeful as an opponent, and relentless as a teammate, his competitive drive both set him apart, an instilled a sense of fear among his colleagues. Episode VIII of the The Last Dance, in which this jersey is prominently featured, explores this element of Jordan’s psyche. As Charlotte Hornets Forward Glen Rice states, “Mike does not need any more gas in his car to get going. But when you do that [instigate Jordan], you have to expect all hell to break loose from that point on.”

In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as Michael Jordan donned this very jersey, Charlotte Hornets point-guard BJ Armstrong committed a fatal error that would change the trajectory of Chicago Bulls 1998 Playoff run. BJ awoke Michael Jordan. After hitting a crucial shot, with the score at a tense 74-71 Hornet lead, BJ roared, and pumped his fist in Michael’s direction. In BJ’s own words, “I hit that shot, and I remember I let Michael know.”

Reflecting on it years later, Michael remembered how it affected him stating, “I felt like BJ should know better. If you’re going to high-five, talk trash, now I had a bone to pick with you.” Going further he explained, “You know, I’m supposed to kill this guy, I’m supposed to dominate this guy. And from that point on, I did.”

That night Michael sat in the locker room staring at a small, dim, screen as television personality Linda Cohen commented, “Earlier in the show, you saw the vision of how the Hornets shocked the Bulls 78-76 in Chicago.” Michael watched with disgust.

Part of what made Michael Jordan the greatest to grace a basketball court was not just his once-in-a-lifetime athleticism or sublime scoring prowess, it was his ability to create a mental game within the physical game, and impose his competitive will on anyone who stood in his way.

Having been a key cog for the Chicago Bulls’ first three-peat from 1991 to 1993, BJ should have known better.

Don’t Wake Up Michael Jordan

Rewind five years to March 19, 1993. BJ was a teammate of Jordan’s when the defending champion Chicago Bulls had a home and away back-to-back with the lowly Washington Bullets.

For anyone checking the schedule that day, it would appear an innocuous mid-season matchup. And while the Chicago Bulls ended up winning as expected, a closer look at the box score would reveal something out of the ordinary – 37 points from unheralded shooting guard, LaBradford Smith. The relative unknown had just put up his career high on the greatest player of all time. What came next is a famous moment in Jordan folklore.

After the game, Jordan claimed Smith said, “Nice game, Mike,” to him as the teams emptied the court. For any other superstar, this might have been seen as a gesture of respect from a young player who just had the game of his career. To Jordan though, this was fuel. It was gasoline poured on fire. As ESPN reporter Michael Wilbon recalled, “You knew that wasn’t going to go down well.”

Michael told his teammates, “Tomorrow in the first half, I’m gonna have what this kid had in a game.” The next night in the second leg of the doubleheader, Jordan scored 36 points in just the first half. The “coincidence” was lost on no one. Commentators during the game noticed, “He’s concentrating almost solely on LaBradford.”

Michael Wilbon commented, “He took such umbrage at a guy saying ‘Nice Game, Mike’ that he torched and humiliated him in front of 20,000 people.”

Years later, a rumor emerged that the entire “Nice game, Mike” incident never happened. Writers asked Michael if it was true, and if LaBradford had ever actually uttered those words. Jordan apparently smiled and replied, “No, I made it up.” Michael had constructed an elaborate mental game, in order to drive himself to decimate LaBradford Smith.

As author Mark Vancil, writer of Rare Air, explained in The Last Dance, “Michael holds himself to such a high level. When you’ve played as long as he did, at the level he did, he constructed reasons to play hard that night.” Referring to BJ’s roar, Vancil commented, “These little slights were deep indignations to him… That’s like throwing meat to a tiger.”

A Baseball Bat & A Cigar

The BJ Armstrong incident in The Last Dance produced one of the most viral images of the show — a clip of Jordan sitting in the locker room ahead of Game 3, smoking a cigar, gripping a baseball bat, taking half swings, with a distinctly unworried look on his face. A voice offscreen asks Jordan, “You pissed off about last night?”

Jordan, whistling and casually swinging his bat, replies smugly, “Uh-uh. Why? You think I should be? So what, we lost one game.” This scene has transformed into a meme ubiquitous with plotting revenge. Jordan, gripping his bat and taking puffs of his cigar continued “It’ll be a dogfight tomorrow. I mean, that’s alright. Let see if all that trash talking starts when it’s zero-zero, instead of a five, six point lead. That’s where it starts. That’s the sign of a good man if you talk shit when it’s even score, or talk shit when you’re behind score. When you’re ahead, its easy to talk.”

The rest of the series is now a footnote in NBA lore. Jordan dominated, averaging over 31 points across the final three games, leading the Bulls to consecutive decisive victories.

Looking back, this game is now viewed as a pivotal moment in 1998 NBA Playoffs. Jordan’s demeanor transformed after the incident, and he played at the peak of his powers on his way to his 6th and final NBA Championship, and last NBA Finals MVP award. The rest is history.

Sports artifacts from Jordan’s 1998 Playoff and Finals run are both highly rare and coveted. The jersey, which has been preserved pristinely, represents Jordan’s insatiable appetite to dole out payback, and to construct elaborate mental games in order to drive himself to victory. It also marked a pivotal turning point in The Last Dance, for a once in a lifetime athlete, crackling with competitive nuance, complexity, and genius.

The jersey is accompanied by a letter from The Chicago Bulls, a photomatching letter from The MeiGray Group, and a letter from James Spence Authentication in regards to the signature.