Michael Jordan’s Mom Disputes Authenticity of UNC Recruitment Letters

A few weeks ago news of Michael Jordan’s official transcript at the University of North Carolina along with his original letters of recruitment were found in an abandon storage unit and made their way to auction. Of the most interesting finds, a personalized note by legendary Tar Heels head coach Dean Smith was included (which may or may not have led to Michael Jordan’s enrollment at the University). It’s safe to say that if these rare pieces of MJ memorabilia are authentic, and at the time of the news they were deemed official, that they are set to be sold off for an exorbitant fee. Now, the documents have come into question by none other than Michael Jordan’s own mother, Deloris Jordan, claiming that the letters are replicas and that she has the official documents herself. Current bids for the diploma are at $8,250 while the letters from Dean Smith and Assistant Coach Guthridge range from $11,794 and $2,500 respectively. Hit the click to get a full synopsis of the situation via ESPN and let us know your thoughts on the potential counterfeiting of Michael Jordan documents in the comments.

Source: ESPN

“I know what I have,” Deloris Jordan told ESPN.com. “They are all replicas. I just can’t sit by and let these people say that they have what they say they have, when they don’t.”

A second authentication service, James Spence Authentication, provided letters to Goldin Auctions on Thursday saying it was their belief that the two recruiting letters being sold by the auction house were genuine and that the signatures were real.

Goldin said that both recruiting letters, one written to Michael Jordan from then-assistant coach Bill Guthridge and another written by then-head coach Dean Smith, were certified as genuine documents with genuine signatures by noted authenticator PSA/DNA.

“We stand behind our authenticators’ opinion 100 percent that what the auction is selling is real,” PSA/DNA president Joe Orlando said. “And there hasn’t been anything legitimate presented that contradicts the opinion of our authenticators. I respect Mrs. Jordan’s approach and concern, but unless there’s evidence to the contrary here, it doesn’t mean much.”

“I have no doubt that Mrs. Jordan has numerous recruiting letters in her possession that she saved from her son Michael, and likely many from the University of North Carolina,” Goldin said. “However, based upon the above facts as well as the third-party authentication, we find it unlikely she has the originals of these two particular letters.”

The diploma currently has a high bid of $8,250, while the letters from Smith and Guthridge have high bids of $11,794 and $2,500, respectively. The transcript has a high bid of $1,000. The auctions close on Feb. 7.