While Michael Jordan was raised in North Carolina, he was born in Brooklyn, New York. Whether or not that had anything to do with his success, Michael always played well in the Big Apple, and his rookie season was no exception. In his first game at Madison Square Garden, Michael put in a 33-point effort to lead the Bulls past the Knicks. A couple of months later, the 21-year-old Jordan outdid himself by popping off for 42 points, generating a lot of buzz from the New York media. Michael made a habit of outdoing himself for the rest of his career. MJ went on to win Rookie of the Year honors, easily outclassing the great Hakeem Olajuwon by a wide margin.
The #288 Rookie of the Year issue is one of the more important Star issues and pays tribute to MJ’s freshman award. As with all Star cards, condition, centering in particular, can be a challenge. This card carries a NM-MT 8 grade from BGS and includes a 9 subgrade for Surface and 8.5 for Corners and Edges.
What sets this particular copy apart from others is the addition of the autograph. Signed in blue ink, it comes authenticated by Beckett.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party authenticator's online database and is active as of 10/08/2025.
