Cardboard Cameos: Sam Vincent, Michael Jordan, and a Missing Jersey
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Love was not on the mind of an unnamed security guard at the Orlando Arena on Valentine’s Day 1990, a date that became part of Chicago lore. The Bulls were in town to face the Magic, with their superstar Michael Jordan just a few days short of his 27th birthday. As the visitors prepared to take the court, a wardrobe emergency took place inside their locker room.
MJ’s jersey was nowhere to be found, and to make matters worse, backup threads were not on hand. The Bulls’ clubbies had an alternate plan: locate a fan wearing a road No. 23 jersey and try to negotiate the shirt off their back. While there was no shortage of folks in and around the building rocking Jordan gear, none were tall enough to fit the 6-foot-6 shooting guard.
Tipoff was fast approaching, and the NBA’s greatest player was forced to don an unnamed top featuring the number 12. Jordan dropped 49, but it wasn’t enough as the Magic topped Chicago in overtime, 135-129, leaving town without solving the mystery. In the days that followed, legend has it that arena staff noticed an out-of-place ceiling tile, atop which lay Jordan’s neatly folded jersey.
The club later acknowledged that one of its security team members had snuck into the locker room through the ceiling, à la Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible, grabbing the memento and stashing it for a reason still unknown. Orlando officials claimed the jersey was then mailed back to Chicago, but the Bulls maintain to this day that it was never received.
Not long after, Jordan, wearing a number other than his own, was immortalized in cardboard on the 1990-91 Hoops #223 Sam Vincent, a seemingly meaningless common that accidentally chronicled one of the league’s most well-known uniform tales. No. 12 is front and center on the cameo card, his attention on the basket, making this a must-have for any Jordan collector and a talking piece for any hobby hoops fan. Beware, though, as the 90-91 Hoops set actually contains *two* #223s, with the Series 2 version showcasing only Vincent in all his glory, no future Hall of Famer in sight.
A PSA 10 of the Series 1 edition recently sold for $155, while a Mint condition one will run about $35. Raw copies can be had for just a few bucks, offering an upside-heavy grading opportunity for those with a sharp eye and the willingness to treasure hunt. Out of almost 6,400 that were graded at the time of writing, 620 scored the coveted Gem Mint classification.
Scott Orgera is a sportswriter and statistician with more than three decades of experience. He has covered thousands of MLB and NFL games, along with most other major sports. A member of the BBWAA, his bylines appear in the Associated Press, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, and Forbes, among others. He also co‑authored 976‑1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground. Having worked card shows with his family in the 1980s, Scott has remained active in the hobby ever since and now owns a card and memorabilia shop just outside New York City.