Jalen Brunson’s jersey could smash the $1 million mark in a Sotheby’s mega-auction from the Knicks epic championship triumph over the San Antonio Spurs.
Hitting the block are 29 Game 1 jerseys worn by players on both sides, and the Game 3 jersey on the back of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Balls and nets will also be up for grabs.
Captain Clutch is a lock to score the top bid in the first installment of the three-part online sale, which runs from June 30 to July 8.
“In Game 1, they had an enormous comeback and the fact that they did that in San Antonio and the fact that it was his finals debut, that makes it a really special jersey,” Sotheby’s Head of Modern Collectables, Brahm Wachter, told The Post.
Finals jerseys typically fetch top dollar — and the Knicks historic 2026 run could shatter sales records.
“The players are playing to win a championship. That’s the point of playing. So the finals jerseys are the most coveted because they speak to the purpose of playing the game,” he said.
“In this case, what’s different is you just see this NBA Finals really just taking on a life of its own in the media and people’s hearts. It’s united New York City. All of this is such a New York moment that somehow the jerseys from this just feel so historic.”
It won’t just be Brunson’s togs commanding top dollar — all Knicks jerseys will be coveted, Wachter noted.
“I think KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] of course, has a great market. And I think people recognize what he brought to the NBA Finals. OG [Anunoby] is rapidly developing such a huge following and love within the city of New York. I think all of these guys from [Landry] Shamet to [Mikal] Bridges, it’s such a team effort, that there will be value in just about everyone on the team.”
Sotheby’s started their official NBA partnership for game-worn items in 2023.
So far, the most expensive jersey they’ve peddled through the NBA Auctions platform is Cooper Flagg’s rookie debut jersey, which was sold privately for $1 million this year.
The most expensive game-worn basketball jersey ever sold was Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey, from the famed ‘Last Dance’ season, which was owned by a private collector and sold at Sotheby’s in 2022 for $10.1 million.
Players usually wear two jerseys per game, so they don’t mind parting with one.
“We’ll take the [one from the game’s] first half and they’ll keep the second half or something like that. And of course, if a player wants to keep the jersey, we’re not going to wrestle it off their body or anything like that,” Wachter explained.
The bidding for every jersey starts at $1
“The prices range wildly in our auctions. Because of that range of value anyone can participate. We’ve sold a Jalen Brunson warm-up for less than $500,” he said.
The jerseys are all washed before they are auctioned, Wachter explained, “because we realized at the beginning of the program that if you don’t do that, mold can develop.”
Although sports memorabilia collectors often dominate these types of auctions, this legendary NBA Finals may flip the script.
“I would not be surprised to see a wide variety of different types of New Yorkers bidding in this. You know, the people that are in MSG rooting these guys on,” Wachter predicted.
“The Spurs have such a talented young squad which is in the auction too – from [Stephon] Castle to Wembanyama to [Dylan] Harper – their presence and talent is going to be felt throughout the league for years to come.”
