A Sports Illustrated certified by CGC® that has the first NBA cover appearance of one of basketball’s most iconic players scored big by setting a new all-time magazine sales record. It was offered in Goldin Auctions’ Elite 2026 Summer Goldin 100 auction on September 20, 2026.

Featuring the first appearance by Michael Jordan on the cover of the magazine as an NBA star, a Sports Illustrated v61 #26 December 10, 1984, graded CGC 9.8 (lot 7) realized a record-setting $378,200, hustling past the previous record of $126,000 set by a CGC 9.8 copy sold in August 2023.

Sports Illustrated v61 26_9.8_MichaelJordan_4021578002_OBV_WEB20260728140912943.png

Sports Illustrated v61 26_9.8_MichaelJordan_4021578002_REV_WEB20260728140939637.png

As one of the earliest collectibles of Jordan's legendary NBA career, this Sports Illustrated issue was appropriately titled "A Star Is Born" and featured an image of the shooting guard in the middle of an acrobatic layup against the Milwaukee Bucks only a few months after he entered the league. Jordan quickly became the focal point of the Bulls' offense, took the NBA by storm, and went on to win Rookie of the Year. Although Jordan first graced the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside Sam Perkins while attending the University of North Carolina, this was the first issue of "His Airness" in a Chicago Bulls uniform.

Jordan would go on to become arguably the greatest basketball player ever and one of the most recognizable figures in all of sports. Between his accomplishments on the hardwood and his signature sneaker line off of it, No. 23 became one of the first global NBA superstars. Jordan led Chicago to six NBA championships, earned six Finals MVPs, five league MVPs, 14 All-Star selections and three All-Star Game MVPs in his astounding career. Among numerous post-retirement honors, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

Of the 126 CGC-graded Newsstand examples of this magazine, only four are graded a "Top Pop" CGC 9.8 as of early August 2026. The CGC Population Report also includes more than 700 examples of the Subscription version of this edition, but the highest-graded of those is CGC 9.6.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles, including trading card games (TCGs), sports cards, magazines, video games, and home media. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services. If you collect it, we grade and protect it.

CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs, and stamps.