Presented here is a July 23, 1984 issue of Sports Illustrated “Up, Up for L.A. featuring Michael Jordan on the cover in his USA Basketball uniform, personally signed by the soon-to-be NBA legend. Published just before the start of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, this issue marks Jordan’s second SI cover and predates his NBA debut with the Bulls three months later. Jordan and company went on to win gold in men's hoops for Team USA. Little did anyone know that would represent a sliver of his future accomplishments, ultimately becoming the greatest of all time.

The autograph was initially backed by Upper Deck Authenticated, which has held Jordan’s exclusive signature contract since 1992. 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 perfect Gem Mint 10 grade from PSA/DNA. The magazine itself is graded VG 3.5 due to spine stress, edge wear, toning (mostly around the perimeter), and a surface scratch on the front. Overall, it remains well-preserved for a subscription issue, which typically age poorly due to casual storage.

Air Jordan signed memorabilia predating his NBA debut is exceptionally rare. The demand and market growth of graded magazines put this item in elite company. Few examples of this 7/23/84 SI issue have ever been signed by MJ. Of those, a tiny fraction hold dual authentication. Neither PSA nor CGC keep census data for signed versions. From our research, we estimate that the number of dual graded examples can be counted on two hands.

With both UDA and PSA authentication – the two longest standing authorities on Jordan’s autograph – this is a grail acquisition for any serious basketball or MJ collector. Includes separate UDA COA card with the BAF65380 cert number matching its hologram sticker affixed on the bottom right of the cover. The PSA cert number 177764137 provides more details on the magazine's condition.