Michael Jordan was only a 19-year-old freshman when he hit the game winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship Game, rising from the left wing to finalize the score at 63-62 in favor of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels against Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyoas. This is widely considered MJ’s launching point, the transformative event that put him on the path to becoming the greatest player in basketball history.

Presented here is Michael’s first professional jersey from the ACC All-Stars Basketball Classic. Before joining the Chicago Bulls following his junior year at UNC, Jordan played in two barnstorming-type games for charity. Jordan was paid $500 to play and would be the first check he would collect for playing basketball. An estimated 1,100 people packed into a Zebulon High School gym in Zebulon, North Carolina on May 26th, 1984 to watch the ACC All-Stars, led by Jordan and UNC center Matt Doherty, pummeled a local team 169-84. This is the jersey Jordan wore that day sourced from the tournament organizers. “ACC ALL-STARS” is screen-printed across the front in white with Jordan’s iconic number “23” printed in white on the back. On the front left tail is a manufacturers tag that reads “ADULT L 42-44” with washing instructions and an additional size flag tag with jersey materials, the size and additional washing instructions. This jersey is accompanied by two letters of provenance from the tournament organizers that state Jordan wore the jersey. Additionally, there is a LOA from MEARS (317514), who have authenticated this jersey for its game use and graded it AUTHENTIC.

Auction Notepad