A landmark piece of basketball history: the December 10, 1984 issue of Sports Illustrated featuring Michael Jordan under the headline “A Star Is Born,” personally signed by His Airness. Published only weeks into his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, this issue marks Jordan’s first SI cover as a professional, the moment the national sports media formally announced the arrival of the player who would redefine the game. The magazine captures Jordan at the very beginning of a career that would bring six NBA titles, six Finals MVP awards, five regular-season MVPs, and status as the greatest of all time.

The signature was initially backed by Upper Deck Authenticated, which has held Jordan’s exclusive autograph agreement since the early ‘90s. Our consignor obtained this autograph in person at one of MJ’s popular fantasy camps in Santa Barbara in the early 2000’s. He brought two SI mags and a basketball to the final day of camp for Jordan to sign, with UDA reps on-site for certification. The magazine was recently submitted for dual authentication at PSA. The bold signature on the cover in black marker received a near-perfect Mint 9 grade from PSA/DNA. The magazine itself is graded Fine 6.0, which is quite strong for a subscription issue considering how often these get improperly stored by owners. The only blemishes worth mentioning are a minor crease in the upper right corner and edge wear along the binding on the left side.

Jordan signed memorabilia from his rookie campaign will always be heavily coveted. The increasing popularity and market growth of graded magazines put this item in elite company. Few examples of the iconic 12/10/84 SI issue have ever been signed by MJ. Of those, only a handful hold dual authentication. Neither PSA nor CGC keep census data for signed versions. Based on the number sold publicly, we estimate that only 10-15 have been dual graded at this juncture.

Carrying both UDA and PSA authentication – the two longest standing authorities on Jordan’s autograph – this is certainly a centerpiece acquisition for any serious basketball or MJ collector. Includes separate UDA COA card with the BAF05617 cert number matching its hologram sticker affixed on the bottom left of the cover.