A couple championship rings and a jacket from a team security guard usually don't get much fanfare, but when the items are the property of John Michael Wozniak, it’s a different matter.
Memorabilia from the collection of the Chicago Bulls security guard, made famous in an episode of “The Last Dance,” went up for auction at Leland’s on Saturday night.
His 1995-96 NBA championship ring sold for $25,233, and his 1996-97 ring fetched $9,252.
Both rings don’t even look like the bling given to members of the team for those seasons. They have completely different designs and fewer diamonds, which significantly lowers the appeal.
For those who care about the items being owned by Wozniak, his last name is not on the outside of the ring, only his initials “JMW” are on the inside of the band.
Wozniak gained fame posthumously in the sixth episode of the ESPN documentary.
Wozniak's viral moment came before a March 28, 1998, game against the Boston Celtics. Wozniak and the “Sniff Brothers,” the name given to the highest level of security around the players, were hanging around before tipoff.
A former Army veteran and Chicago Police Department narcotics officer with his trademark curly perm, Wozniak played a game with Michael Jordan in which whoever could flip his quarter closest to the wall got the pot of $20.
Jordan said he’d take one try, and Wozniak could have four. When Wozniak won twice, the security guard shrugged and took the money.
“You’ll get the hell out of here,” Jordan said. “Go protect the damn United Center. Security! Come get security out of here.”
Jordan liked Wozniak so much that when the security man stopped working for the Bulls, MJ hired him to work for him personally.
Wozniak died of colon cancer in January 2020, four months before the episode aired.
Leland’s also sold Wozniak’s yellow security jacket for $403.
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Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.