Jalen Brunson’s Playoff-Worn Jersey Fetches a Whopping Six-Figure Sum in Private Sale

Jalen Brunson memorabilia was already in huge demand before this latest sale. In July, the jersey he wore in Game 1 of the NBA Finals sold for $1,024,000 in Sotheby’s NBA Auctions sale after 70 bids. That made it the most ever paid for a Brunson collectible and the most ever paid for any piece of Knicks memorabilia.

That sale came on the heels of New York's first championship in 53 years, with Brunson earning Finals MVP honors along the way. Now, a much less famous jersey from earlier in that same playoff run has brought in a huge return of its own.

Brunson’s jersey from Game 1 of the Knicks’ first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks sold through NBA Auctions in May for $32,000. That was already a solid number for a non-Finals playoff jersey, but nowhere close to what his Finals gear would later sell for. Now, according to collector Chase Jordan, the same jersey has been resold privately for $200,000.

If that’s accurate, the jersey’s value jumped by $168,000, or about 525%, in just a few months.

Brunson wore it when he made his first six shots and finished with 28 points, five rebounds and seven assists in a 113-102 win over Atlanta. It was the first game of the Knicks’ playoff run.

The jump follows what happened after that first-round win. After falling behind 2-1 in that series, the Knicks won 13 games in a row, and Brunson carried them all the way to the title.

He averaged 32.6 points in the five-game Finals against the San Antonio Spurs and scored 45 in the clinching Game 5 to win Finals MVP. It was New York’s first championship since 1973.

Any piece connected to that run became more valuable once the Knicks won, including a jersey from the opening game of the first round.

Jalen Brunson Memorabilia Market Surges After Knicks’ First Title in 53 Years

The Finals jersey set the benchmark. Its $1,024,000 price was a record for any Brunson or Knicks collectible.

It also topped the $1 million paid for the jersey Cooper Flagg wore during the first half of his NBA debut, making it the most expensive jersey ever sold through NBA Auctions.

Fifteen game-worn or issued Knicks jerseys from Game 1 netted $1,868,416, including $256,000 each for Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby.

The demand reached other items. The day after the Knicks won the title, a one-of-one Brunson rookie card sold for $312,000, more than triple the old record for a Brunson card.

ESPN reported 14 sales of Brunson cards for at least $30,000 in June, with four of them going for more than $99,000. A Finals court panel from Madison Square Garden sold for $243,000, and Victor Wembanyama’s Game 1 jersey went for $217,600.

Those numbers show how much the Knicks championship items are worth now compared to before the NBA title.

Still, Brunson has a long way to go to reach the top. In October, a signed Michael Jordan jersey from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold privately for $14 million, the most ever paid for any piece of basketball memorabilia. At $200,000, Brunson’s first-round jersey now sits between its original $32,000 price and the $1 million his Finals jersey brought in.