New York Knicks’ basketball star Jalen Brunson’s jersey that he wore during the opening game of the 2026 NBA Finals was recently auctioned off at Sotheby’s for $1.024 million, setting a new record for Knicks memorabilia. This jersey not only commemorates Brunson leading the team to win the 2026 NBA championship but also marks the Knicks’ first league title since 1973.
According to official auction information from Sotheby’s, the item sold was the white Nike Association Edition jersey that Brunson wore in the first game of this year’s NBA Finals. Brunson scored 30 points in that game, helping the Knicks secure a victory and eventually leading the team to claim the championship, earning himself the title of the Finals MVP. The jersey was listed as the number one item in the “NBA Auctions Premier: 2026 Finals.”
The auction took place in New York from June 30 to July 8, and after 70 bids, Brunson’s jersey was sold for $1.024 million. This price not only broke Brunson’s personal memorabilia auction record but also became the highest-selling Knicks memorabilia in history. The identity of the buyer has not been disclosed.
Brahm Wachter, the head of Sotheby’s Modern Collectibles department, mentioned that the demand for this auction was “explosive,” with each item attracting more than 10 bidders, whereas typically having two bidders is considered ideal for the auction house. He stated that “online buzz directly translates into market demand,” emphasizing that sports memorabilia has become an important area of business growth for Sotheby’s.
This was the third Finals-themed auction held in collaboration between Sotheby’s and the NBA. Besides Brunson’s jersey from the first game of the Finals, items for auction included the floorboards from Madison Square Garden with the NBA Finals logo and the nets used by the Knicks during their championship-winning fifth game. A jersey from Spurs’ star Victor Wembanyama from the Finals also sold for approximately $217,000.
Although Brunson’s jersey set a new record for Knicks memorabilia, Sotheby’s mentioned that it is still far below the price achieved for Michael Jordan’s jersey worn in the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan’s jersey was sold for about $10 million in 2022, maintaining the highest record for game-worn jerseys at auctions.