LOT #80121 |
Sold on Aug 23, 2025 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
Massive 1994-98 United Center Original Game Used Court Section (8' x 8') - Signed by Michael Jordan with Five Inscriptions!...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on Aug 23, 2025 for:
$562,555.42
Bid Source: Internet bidder
Get one of these:
Explore Available Items
Description
The ultimate Michael Jordan display piece!
Massive 1994-98 United Center Original Game Used Court Section
(8' x 8') - Signed by Michael Jordan with Five Inscriptions!
It's a massive showpiece by any standard of measure, sixty-four
square feet of hard maple hallowed by three World Championships and
the footsteps of the most celebrated athlete in the history of
American sports. It was here that Michael Jordan returned to a
thunderous ovation after his first retirement from the sport he
dominated, and where he brought the new home of the Chicago Bulls
level with the old one as Chicago Stadium gave way to the United
Center. Jordan would clinch the first two Finals of his second
three-peat on this floor before launching his final Finals dagger
in Utah.This extraordinary display piece is identified on the included Upper Deck certificate of authenticity as having been used from the United Center's debut season of 1994 through the NBA Championship season of 1998, however its utility continued onward for several more seasons beyond. NBA teams are required by the league to replace their basketball court flooring at least every 10 years and often they will be sanded and resurfaced/repainted at least once during that span, and such was the case with this court. The photo matching experts at PSA have matched the court in its current state to photography from the 2001-02 season through the 2005-06 season, at which point it was removed and replaced per NBA protocol.
Beyond the assurance of Upper Deck as to the presence of this court at United Center from its opening through the remainder of the Jordan years, we can reference a smaller slab of the court offered at auction in April 2024 that included a 2010 team letter on Bulls letterhead likewise attesting to use during this period. That auction listing included a court diagram listing all the individual slabs on an alpha-numerical grid, used by stadium workers to ensure proper placement as the puzzle was assembled. The underside of the court from that offering and this Heritage model are identical in both construction and manner of the handwritten identifiers and perfectly match their respective alpha-numerical locations on the diagram provided by the Bulls, which can be seen at our online listing. The subject 8x8 foot slab represents all of L-4 and portions of M-4 and M-5 to encompass the full Bulls logo. As that location will confirm, this is one of the court corner logos, located between the free throw alley and the three-point line.
Post-face lift, this court did enjoy a reunion with the man who christened it with championship seasons four through six-the current state is how the court looked when MJ took his final bows in Chicago as a representative of the Washington Wizards on January 24, 2003. Eleven months later, this court format welcomed another legend who would wear number "23" into retirement, as rookie LeBron James made his first visit to Chicago with the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 20, 2003.
More than a decade after the sale of the court, our consignor was able (at great effort and expense) to bring about a reunion between the floor and the greatest player ever to walk upon it, capturing a photograph of Jordan applying his signature and a remarkable assembly of notations. He tells us that Jordan balked at the idea of signing "GOAT" out of a sense of humility, agreeing instead to the following to underscore his thirty-two-inch (32") long black sharpie autograph:
"Air Jordan, 5x MVP, 6x Finals MVP, 10x Scoring Title, HOF 2009."
It's an absolute jaw-dropper, conferring upon its next owner ultimate Jordan bragging rights through one of the most physically impressive pieces of sports memorabilia to find its way to the hobby's auction block in the 21st century. The included Upper Deck certificate of authenticity identifies the court section as a limited edition of one, so it appears that the other logos never made it to the collecting marketplace. We should mention that the UDA online serial number database is notoriously incomplete, but we have corresponded with Upper Deck via email, and they replied to confirm the legitimacy of their COA with the following "We can confirm hologram number # BAK45350 as an authentic Michael Jordan Autographed Game Used Floor Piece. Older items will not be listed in the public database and will not be added. You can keep this email for your records of Upper Deck validating the authenticity of this hologram number." A copy of this email will also be included with the lot.
We'll be transporting a life-sized replica of the court section to the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago in late July, so you can expect this piece is going to go ultra-viral on social media, and quite possibly mainstream media as well. We expect bidding action to be intense. But if Michael Jordan has taught us anything, it's that true champions always find a way to win in the end. COA from UDA (BAK45350). LOA from Heritage Auctions. Full LOA from PSA/DNA. Full LOA from Beckett Authentication Services.
Auction Info
2025 August 23 - 24 Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction #50079 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
August, 2025
23rd-24th
Saturday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 28
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 6,260
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Charges to be determined based on Actual Shipping Costs incurred. Note: Additional invoice may follow original. Please contact us for more information. Sales Tax information
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Charges to be determined based on Actual Shipping Costs incurred. Note: Additional invoice may follow original. Please contact us for more information. Sales Tax information
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms