AN UNUSED ticket for Michael Jordan’s first NBA game has smashed records after being sold for $468,000.

Owner Mike Cole kept the keepsake stored away in his basement after attending Bulls vs Washington Bullets in 1984.

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Michael Jordan made his debut for the Chicago Bulls against the Bullets in 1984Credit: Getty

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An unused ticket for the match has been sold for $468,000Credit: Heritage Auctions, HA.com
And the Maryland native had no idea he’s been sitting on a lottery ticket for the past three decades.

Former Northwestern student Cole was gifted two tickets to the game by a family friend who worked for the Bullets.

The then-Freshman was unable to palm off the spare stub to any of his classmates, with the trek from Evanston to Chicago’s East Side deemed too far.

You can barely blame them either, with the Bulls entering the new season on the back of three losing NBA campaigns.

And there was barely a ripple of optimism despite a rookie guard named Jordan from North Carolina making his debut.

‘I’D HAVE TAKEN $500 FOR IT’

Cole attended the Bulls vs Bullets game alone but picked up both tickets left for him at Chicago Stadium.

The used stub he discarded, but the unused one stayed in his jacket pocket and was later placed in a folder containing a number of other sporting keepsakes.

It wasn’t until 34 years later that Cole realized the significance of the ticket he kept, after seeing a used pass from the same game sell for a record-setting price.

And incredibly he claims that he would have taken just $500 for the ticket if someone had offered before that night.

Cole told Yahoo Sports: “I’m a huge sports fan, and I enjoy keeping tickets as memories of good times I’ve had.

“Before that night, if you’d have given me $500 for that ticket, I’d probably taken it.

“I wasn’t waiting for the right time to sell or to figure out if I had the only one.

“I just didn’t know this market for tickets existed.”

The ticket was sold off by Heritage Auctions on February 26 and some commentators suggested bidding could reach north of $1m.

It netted a whopping $468,000 – including a 20 percent buyer’s premium – which Cole says will be used to pay off his mortgage and children’s college bills.

A used stub from the game was auctioned in December 2021 and fetched its owner a cool $264,000.

Jordan scored 16 points on his Bulls debut, also grabbing five defensive rebounds and seven assists as the home side beat the Bullets 109-93.

Regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, Jordan went on to create a dynasty with Chicago over the next 15 years.

He won six NBA Championships, was five times the league MVP and claimed Rookie of the Year in 1985.

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Jordan is credited by many for the NBA’s worldwide appeal