In the world of sports memorabilia, signed jerseys, championship rings, and game-worn sneakers are the typical collectibles.
But leave it to Michael Jordan to turn an old gallon of barbecue sauce into one of the most unique-and lucrative-items in fast food history.
Back in the early 1990s, at the height of Jordan’s dominance in the NBA, McDonald’s briefly introduced the McJordan Burger, a special-edition menu item named after the Chicago Bulls icon.
The burger, topped with pickles, onions, bacon, and a tangy “McJordan Barbecue Sauce,” was only available in a few markets. Most fans moved on. But one man didn’t forget.
Mort Bank, a former McDonald’s franchisee based in Bismarck, North Dakota, held onto a full, unopened gallon of the exclusive McJordan sauce when he sold his restaurants in 1996.
For over a decade, it sat quietly in his basement, until 2012, when Bank decided to list it on eBay with a bold description: “A once in a lifetime chance to own the rarest of rare Michael Jordan and McDonald’s collectible!”
The result? The sauce sold for $9,995.
Sauce, superstardom, and a surprising windfall
The jug wasn’t autographed, had no connection to a game, and certainly wasn’t touched by Jordan himself.
But it didn’t need to be. Just having the Jordan name on the label was enough to drive collectors wild.
Reflecting on the unexpected windfall, Bank said, “If I had known it was going to be red hot on the Internet, I might have done it differently, but $10,000 for barbecue sauce is pretty good.”
The viral story found new life recently after an Instagram post resurfaced featuring an image of Jordan beside the famed sauce container, reigniting discussion around one of the oddest moments in marketing-meets-memorabilia history.
Speculation swirled at the time about whether Jordan himself had bought the jug. Bank cleared that up quickly.
“I’m sure he’s a Bulls or Michael Jordan fan, and hopefully he’s not going to put it on his ribs or his burger,” he joked.
“But it’s up to him; he can do whatever he wants with it.”
Bank wasn’t new to selling collectibles. He’d been flipping various items online, shipping memorabilia to buyers in countries like China, Japan, Brazil, and across Europe. But the McJordan sauce was by far his most successful, and surreal, sale.
“It was in my basement and I would look at it occasionally,” he told The Bismarck Tribune. “I thought it would be worth something someday.”
And he was right. The $215 billion McDonald’s brand may never have imagined that a forgotten promotional product from the ’90s would someday fetch nearly five figures. But when it carries the weight of Michael Jordan’s name, anything is possible.
As NBC prepares to return to NBA coverage, reviving the sights and sounds of Jordan’s golden era, complete with “Roundball Rock” and nostalgic throwbacks, this quirky story serves as another reminder of Jordan’s unmatched influence.
His impact isn’t confined to the court. It lingers on in retro jerseys, vintage ads, and, apparently, in gallons of long-expired barbecue sauce.
Jordan once said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” Mort Bank, it seems, did all three-with a jug of sauce.
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