Michael Jordan's jersey sells for eight figures, Durant misses three games straight

GOAT?

Michael Jordan stopped adding accolades to his basketball legacy, but his financial legacy is growing. After becoming the first NBA player to become a billionaire, a feat he achieved in 2014, “His Airness” showed that his brand is as valuable as ever.

On Sunday, the jersey that Jordan wore in his last regular season game for the Chicago Bulls went under the hammer for a scandalous $173,240. For the clarity of mere mortals, that’s Rs. 11433840!!! This makes it the most expensive piece of Jordan memorabilia sold so far, eclipsing his mythical “flu game” shoes.

The memorable image of MJ collapsing into Scottie Pippen’s arms after the Bulls won the “flu game”

Those particular shoes, which were worn by Jordan in game 5 of the 1996-97 finals, fetched $105,000 at an auction last year. Stricken by food poisoning and advised by his personal trainer not to play, Jordan would defy odds and spend 44 minutes on the hardwood, notching up 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. His effort would swing the evenly poised series in the Bulls’ favour, and they eventually beat the Utah Jazz 4-2.

Returning to the belief-beggaring jersey, Ken Goldin of Golfin Auctions, which sold the singlet, said, “No one who has been out of the game fewer than fifteen years has had items sell for these kinds of prices.”

Jordan wore the jersey bearing the iconic 23 on April 18, 1998 in his final regular season game for the Bulls against the New York Knicks. The veracity of the jersey was validated by jersey authenticator MeiGray and by a letter from the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN.

KEVIN DURANT OUT WITH HAMSTRING STRAIN FOR 4 GAMES AT LEAST

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant missed his third straight game after injuring his hamstring against the Washington Wizards last Tuesday. Before alarm bells start going off in Thunder fans’ heads, let us reassure you that KD himself has stated that he is recovering well, but will be on the bench for at least another game.

Said Durant, “Feeling a lot better. Way better, actually. Hamstrings are a little different. You can reinjure them pretty easily if you try and play through it, or as we say now, 'Be tough.' I call that being dumb. But hamstring strains you can't really try and play through it. Just got to get it right and make sure everything is perfect when I come back to play.”, according to ESPN.

Frustrating as it is to be sidelined after missing 55 games last season with a Jones fracture, not to mention his streaking form (he’s averaging 28.1 ppg with 50.3 percent shooting), Durant doesn’t want to repeat the mistake of returning early, “This time around, I just want to make sure I'm fully healed and feel good about going out there and playing again.”

This is the 27-year-old Small Forward’s first serious muscle injury in his 8-year NBA career.