The jersey Stephen Curry wore in the championship-clinching Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals -- Curry's fourth title with the Golden State Warriors and his only NBA Finals MVP thus far -- has been sold privately for $2.45 million, a record paid for a Curry jersey.
The previous record was the $1.758 million paid last summer at Sotheby's for the jersey Curry wore in his second career NBA game, in which he made his first three-pointer.
Barry Meisel, president and chief operating officer of the MeiGray Group -- who photo-matched and sold the jersey privately for $1.7 million three and a half years ago -- confirmed the sale to ESPN and noted this is the only jersey Curry wore during Game 6. MeiGray, known for their photo-matching/authentication services, has deals with the NBA's Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers and six NHL teams.
"We have seen a significant increase the last twelve to eighteen months in private sales of this magnitude," Meisel says. "Premium items are selling for multiples of what they did several years ago -- and buyers and sellers want to sell them privately. Very few premium items get into the hobby properly authenticated, with the proper chain of custody."
The buyer -- represented in the sale by Curio Advisors -- wishes to remain anonymous.
"We chronicle, in real time, historic milestones and moments," Meisel says. "Last year, we authenticated Alex Ovechkin's jersey from his 895th, Gretzky-record-breaking goal -- I literally took it off his back during the post-game ceremony, authenticated it, and handed it to Alex. He says he's building a museum in Russia when he retires."
