‘Dream Team’ auction ships $5M to ‘The Mailman’

Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone recently auctioned off 24 pieces of memorabilia from the 1992 Summer Olympics USA Basketball “Dream Team” — game-used jerseys and sneakers from all 12 members — to the tune of $5 million.

The bulk of those earnings from the auction with collectibles marketplace Goldin, unsurprisingly, came via Michael Jordan’s No. 9 white jersey — worn during the 127-76 dismantling of Lithuania in the semifinals. It sold for $3,003,000 — a record for any game-used Olympics Jordan item. Jordan’s game-worn sneakers from the 1992 Tournament of the Americas — the pre-Olympics event where the Dream Team debuted — sold for $420,000.

Larry Bird’s jersey, also from the semifinal against Lithuania, sold for $360,000, while a pair of Bird game-used sneakers sold for $91,200 — records for a Bird jersey and sneakers. In a 2023 addendum to A Courtship of Rivals, Magic Johnson wasn’t far behind, as his semifinal jersey sold for $336,000 — a record for a game-used Olympics Magic item.

They weren’t the only Dream Team members whose semifinal jerseys hit six figures: Charles Barkley ($230,400) and David Robinson ($116,400) also eclipsed that threshold and set all-time records for their jerseys. Clyde Drexler‘s semifinal jersey — which includes the inscription, “I enjoyed being your teammate!” — fetched $92,200 but set a record for any game-used Drexler jersey.

Malone had displayed the collection for years at his dealership in Utah. He invited Goldin’s executive chairman and founder Ken Goldin out when he decided to sell, a scene captured on Netflix’s “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch.”

“It was truly remarkable to have been able to work with Karl Malone himself to offer this iconic collection to fans everywhere,” Goldin said. “Now a lucky few own a piece of revolutionary sports history from some of the greatest players of all-time.”