With the Last Dance finally about to hit our screens everyone is about to get crazy once again for Michael Jordan, if you don’t already own a Jordan jersey now is the time to invest in a timeless piece of NBA history.
What is the best Michael Jordan jersey to buy?
If you want to buy a Jordan jersey today you have two choices, either vintage or an authentic Mitchell & Ness jersey. There are benefits to both so the choice depends on a variety of factors, this includes your budget, if you have a particular jersey in mind and convenience. Our guide below will help you navigate these decisions and ensure your rocking a 23 (or 45) this summer.
Why should I buy a Mitchell & Ness authentic Jordan Jersey?
The quickest and easiest way to buy a Jordan jersey today is to buy an authentic Mitchell & Ness Michael Jordan jersey. Mitchell and Ness have been producing authentic licensed Michael Jordan jerseys since 2014, they are available via their own website, on the official NBA Europe Store at www.nbastore.eu (use our code ‘BASKETBALLNOISE’ for 10% off) and via a few other select retailers.
Mitchell & Ness Authentic Jordan ‘Flu Game’ jersey 
Embroided NBA Finals Patch 
Mitchell & Ness Authentic Jordan jerseys
How much does an authentic Michael Jordan jersey cost?
Unfortunately, Authentic Jordan jerseys (link takes you to NBA Store) don’t come cheap, they start at £200 on the official NBAStore, however, if you can get 10% off when you use the code BASKETBALLNOISE at the checkout!
Mitchell and Ness follow the exact specifications of the original jerseys that Jordan wore in the NBA, this is definitely reflected in the price, however when you have one of them in your hands you can see what you have paid for. The jersey material is thick and heavyweight, it feels like quality. The name and numbers are all stitched, the craftsmanship is second to none. Every Jersey has an embroidered jock tag that states the year the jersey was worn. The additional touches really make a difference here as well. The 1996-97 finals jersey is the exact same as Jordan wore in the Flu-game. It has the golden 50th anniversary NBA logo, the finals patch in the guise of the Larry O’Brien trophy. The devil really is in the detail on this product, hence the large price tag.
However, be warned, supply is limited, currently the UK Mitchell and Ness website has no stock, the NBAStore stock is limited with many jerseys only available in limited size runs.
How can I spot a Fake Mitchell and Ness Michael Jordan jersey?
There is a golden rule with fake jerseys, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. Only buy from authorised retailers that you trust such as the NBAStore, Fanatics, Mitchell and Ness directly or well known and respected independents such as BSTN. The adverts for £50 Jordan jerseys are fakes! It’s too good to be true so stay away!
You can tell an authentic Mitchell and Ness jersey by the tags. They all come with two swing tags attached to the label in the neck. The first is the Hardwood Classics tag, this comes with the NBA hologram and the reserve has the Nbastore.com URL and an 11 digit code, this is attached by the standard plastic swing tag. The second tag is the Mitchell and Ness tag, this is made of heavier cardboard and attached to the product via a string rope and a safety pin. This tag includes the stamp identifying the product as an authentic jersey.
Are Mitchell and Ness authentic Jordan jerseys worth it?
£200 is a lot to spend on a jersey, there are occasionally some deals available in the market and again you can use our code ‘BASKETBALLNOISE’ on the NBA site for an additional 10% discount however there is no denying it’s a lot of coin.
However, the quality is unbelievable, once you have one of these in your hands you will understand, also when looking to purchase an authentic I frame it against the price of a pair of Jordan retro’s. The latest Jordan 5 fire reds will be £165 when they release, depending on how much wear you think you will get out of a jersey compared to a pair of kicks its worth missing out on one pair of J’s to make sure you have at least one authentic jersey in your cupboard!
A Video Guide to Michael Jordan Jerseys
Ady and James from Basketball Noise have taken an in depth look at Jordan jerseys and in this video they look at a number of factors in relation to Jordan jerseys.
Contents of the video
Mitchell and Ness Authentic Jersey (1.00)
How to Care for your Authentic Jersey (4.19)
NBA Finals Patch Changes (5.19)
Michael Jordan 45 Jersey (7.36)
Gold Michael Jordan Jersey (7.54)
Michael Jordan Number 12 Jersey (8.12)
Michael Jordan Champion Jersey- Eurofit (10.09)
Michael Jordan Champion Jersey- US (13.31)
Fake Michael Jordan Jersey (17.33)
Cleaning Vintage Jerseys (23.03)
Where can I buy a vintage Michael Jordan jersey?
Perhaps your working with a smaller budget, or the exact Jordan jersey your looking for is not available now via Mitchell and Ness, how else can you get a Jordan jersey? The answer might be to look for a vintage jersey.
Unbelievably it is now 17 years since Jordan finally hung up his kicks in 2003. Jordan played for 15 years in the NBA and almost every year he was the top selling jersey. Nike, Jordan brand and latterly Mitchell and Ness have also been producing Jordan jerseys after he retired. That means that there have been millions of Jordan jerseys sold thought out the years. Many of these jerseys have now made their way into the vintage market.
Unfortunately it is highly unlikely in Europe to stumble upon a Jordan jersey in your local charity or vintage shop, the 23 of Jordan is so well know that any pieces that do make it into these channels get snapped up very quickly. However, there are still ways to snap up a Vintage Jordan jersey at a bargain price.
There are several well-respected vintage jersey dealers on Instagram, Depop and Facebook. This includes the Throwback store, the jerseys guys and 90sNBAStuff. They often have Jordan jerseys at reasonable prices. The best thing is that these guys are all serious about jerseys and know their stuff so you can buy in confidence that you are getting the real deal.
Its also worth keeping an eye on eBay, however keep an eye out for fakes, as always if it looks to good to be true it probably is, check sellers feedback to make sure they are reputable (never buy from a seller with no feedback!) and always pay with PayPal, if a seller you don’t know ask you to mark a payment as a gift or pay outside of PayPal always politely decline. When you pay via PayPal your consumer rights are covered.
What should I be looking for when buying a Vintage Jordan jersey?
The two most popular types of vintage Jordan jerseys found in Europe are both made by Champion.
The first is the Champion Euro cut jersey, between 1991 and 2011 Champion had the exclusive right to produce NBA merchandise in Europe. On these jerseys the player name and number and team logo were all sublimated. This means that the fabric of the jersey was dyed to the correct pattern rather than screen printed or stitched on top of the jersey. These jerseys were finished with the Champion jock tag stitched into the bottom of the jersey containing there famous tag line ‘It takes a little more to become a Champion’ and embroidered Champion and NBA logos stitched on to the left hand side of the chest.
Anyone that grew up playing basketball in Europe will remember these jersey, they came in European sizing Small to XXL, its worth nothing that this was true European rather than American sizing so if you usually buy jersey in the states its worth going up at least one size. The shorts in particular were famous for not being as long as their American counterparts.
The great thing about these jerseys was because they were sublimated, they are extremely hard wearing, the numbers do not fall off or start to fade. The one thing to watch out for is bobbling and pulls. Good vintage sellers will call out any imperfections within their listings so you should have a good idea of what your buying.
The second type of Jordan jersey that often pops up in Europe is the American cut Champion jerseys. These jerseys had the player name and number and the team logo screen printed on top of the jersey. They also have the Champion Jock tag, however they are sized from 36 (Which is small) to 64 (5XL). They did however have the same Champion and NBA logo Embroidered onto the left-hand side.
Unfortunately, these Champion jerseys are not as great a quality as the European ones in my opinion. The names and numbers on the reverse are often very strangely placed more towards the bottom of the jersey. The vest straps can often be very thin and the older jerseys can now often look very worn due to the thinner jersey material used and the screen print finish to the names and numbers. This can leave names and numbers looking faded, washed out or in the worse cases they have completely fallen from the jersey.
Champion US Cut screen printed jersey 
Champion US Cut screen printed jersey 
Champion US Cut screen printed jersey
There are a few other types of Jordan jerseys that do pop up from time to time, these include Nike or Jump man jerseys to celebrate either his high school career at Laney High, or his college career at North Carolina. There is of course the Spaceman jerseys that Nike produced a few years ago and team USA jersey. Jordan actually played in two Olympics, the 1984 games in Los Angeles and more famously at the 1992 games as part of the dream team. Both of the jersey has been recreated over the years.
Brand Jordan Tune Squad Jordan Jersey 
Nike USA 84′ Olympics Jordan Jersey 
Brand Jordan Laney High School Jordan Jersey
If you are going to look for a vintage jersey good luck and enjoy the chase, there is no better feeling than discovering a rare vintage find, do your research and again always remember if it looks to good to be true, unfortunately it probably is!