Michael Jordan keeps setting records — even when he’s nowhere near a court.
A copy of Jordan’s very first Sports Illustrated cover — the November 28, 1983 issue featuring MJ and his UNC teammate Sam Perkins — just sold for $229,360 at auction through Goldin Auctions on March 7. That’s a new all-time record for a graded magazine cover at auction.
The previous record? Another Jordan SI cover from December 10, 1984, which sold for $126,000 back in 2023. MJ just broke his own record.
What makes this particular cover carry so much weight is the context. Jordan was still a college kid at the University of North Carolina — before the NBA Draft, before the six rings, before the brand became a global empire. It’s a snapshot of the future GOAT before the world fully understood what was coming.
The fact that someone dropped over $229K on a college basketball magazine cover tells you everything you need to know about the Jordan Effect. The man’s name turns everything it touches to gold — literally and historically.
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