Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
The Summer 1998 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids featuring Michael Jordan arrives at a moment that every serious basketball collector understands immediately. The summer of 1998 was the last chapter of the Chicago Bulls dynasty — the conclusion of the second three-peat, the sixth championship in eight years, and, as it turned out, the final act of Jordan's run as a Bull. The 1997–98 NBA season had unfolded against a backdrop of labor uncertainty, a fractured front office, and widespread acknowledgment that this was likely the last ride for the Phil Jackson–coached, Jordan-led Bulls. When Jordan hit the series-winning jumper over Byron Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals on June 14, 1998, it became one of the most iconic shots in sports history — and this issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids was published into that euphoria. For collectors building a complete record of Jordan's career in print, this sits alongside the broader Michael Jordan magazine collection as a document of his cultural peak.
What distinguishes this issue beyond its cover subject is the inclusion of collectible cards. Sports Illustrated for Kids was well known throughout the 1990s for its perforated card inserts — a feature that made each issue simultaneously a magazine and a trading card pack, and which dramatically increases the collectible interest of surviving copies that retain their cards intact. A 1998 Jordan card insert, still attached or preserved alongside the magazine, represents the convergence of two major collecting categories: vintage sports periodicals and basketball trading cards. The late 1990s were the height of NBA trading card culture, and a Jordan card from the championship summer carries the full weight of that moment. Collectors who appreciate this intersection will find deep inventory across the Sports Illustrated magazine archive, which spans decades of landmark sports coverage.
Jordan retired — for the second time — in January 1999, citing the dissolution of the Bulls roster and the departure of Phil Jackson. The summer of 1998 was therefore not just a championship moment but a farewell, though few recognized it with full certainty at the time. Publications aimed at young fans, like Sports Illustrated for Kids, captured Jordan at the precise moment when his legend was most intact and his cultural reach was at its absolute widest. The full range of 1998 magazines documents a year that was, in sports terms, dominated by Jordan's final season and the questions surrounding what would come after.
About the Publication
Sports Illustrated for Kids, launched in January 1989 as a spin-off of the flagship Sports Illustrated, was designed to bring sports journalism to a younger readership with accessible writing, vivid photography, and an editorial format built around the athletes young fans most admired. Its signature feature throughout the 1990s was the inclusion of perforated collectible trading cards in each issue — a deliberate editorial decision that made the magazine a hybrid product appealing to both readers and collectors. By 1998 the publication had established itself as a primary record of youth sports culture during one of the NBA's most commercially successful eras, with Michael Jordan as its most frequently featured subject.
Key Highlights Inside
- Cover feature on Michael Jordan, timed to the Chicago Bulls' 1998 NBA championship — the sixth title of the Jordan era and the conclusion of the second three-peat.
- Collectible cards featuring Michael Jordan, intact with the issue — a defining feature of Sports Illustrated for Kids throughout the 1990s and a significant factor in the collector value of surviving copies.
- Coverage reflecting the cultural moment of summer 1998, when Jordan and the Bulls stood at the undisputed peak of NBA dominance and global sports celebrity.
- Note: Specific additional article titles and confirmed interior page details beyond what is documented above have not been independently verified from the available listing.
Condition & Rarity
A Very Good grade on a 1998 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids is a meaningful designation, particularly for a magazine that was produced for a young audience and handled accordingly. Issues from this publication were read, shared, and frequently stripped of their card inserts — which makes a surviving copy in Very Good condition, with cards present and a protective plastic sleeve applied, considerably more desirable than the press run alone would suggest. The absence of a subscription label preserves full cover integrity, which matters to display-grade collectors. When evaluating surviving copies of this issue, the key condition factors are the completeness and attachment state of the card inserts, the brightness and crispness of the cover, and the absence of interior writing or heavy creasing — all common in magazines that passed through young hands. Minor wear consistent with age, as noted, is expected and accepted at the Very Good grade; what distinguishes a strong example is the retention of all original components and the overall structural integrity of the issue.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
Jordan issues from the championship summers are among the most sought-after entries in any sports magazine collection, and copies with cards intact are particularly hard to track down. The Michael Jordan magazine collection at OriginalMagazines.com is the most focused place to search for other Jordan-cover issues spanning his full career. The Sports Illustrated archive offers the broader context of 1990s sports coverage, and collectors building around the era specifically will want to explore the 1998 magazine collection for other publications that documented Jordan's final championship season.