Nike has announced it will sell a special edition Michael Jordan Bulls jersey on May 31 commemorating the last of his NBA championships nearly 20 years ago.
Proceeds from the jersey sales _ tied to "The Last Dance," the just-announced 10-hour Netflix and ESPN Films documentary on Jordan and his 1990 Bulls title teams set for next year _ will benefit Friends of the Children, a national nonprofit organization, Nike said.
The Jordan jersey will be available in three versions.
Top of the line, retailing for $400, is an Authentic away Bulls No. 23 top identical to what Jordan wore on June 14, 1998, when he nailed the jumper with 5.2 seconds in the visiting Bulls' victory over the Jazz for his sixth championship. It will come in what Nike describes as a soft-touch box with a clear window and magnetic closure.
There also will be $120 home and away Swingman replica Bulls jerseys.
All three versions will have NikeConnect technology enabling owners to unlock access to content from "The Last Dance" ahead of next year's premiere.
"The Last Dance" will run on both Netflix and ESPN platforms. It will be produced by Mandalay Sports Media in association with NBA Entertainment and Jordan's Jump.23 and as such enjoys the full participation of Jordan and other key figures from the Bulls title teams.
ESPN said the series also will feature other notable figures from basketball and beyond, and tap a wellspring of more than 500 hours of previously untapped footage from the Bulls' last championship run in 1997-98.
Friends of the Children pairs disadvantaged kindergarten-age children with salaried, professional mentors who stay with them through high school graduation. The organization recently started a Chicago chapter and hopes to be in 25 cities by 2025.
