When discussing basketball legends, the first name that comes to mind is almost always Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls’ number 23 wasn’t just a phenomenon on the court, but also a style and luxury icon off it. And among the many demonstrations of his superstar lifestyle, one of the most striking involves a luxury car, a Ferrari 550 Maranello, transformed into one of the most surprising Christmas gifts in NBA history.
When Michael Jordan gave his Ferrari 550 Maranello as a Christmas gift to Scottie Pippen
Jordan made NBA history with six championships, two three-peats, and 14 All-Star selections, becoming a global sports symbol. But his love for luxury items, cigars, golf, and supercars, is equally legendary. His golf games, for example, were known as much for their intensity as for the mind-boggling bets on individual holes.
The most curious episode came in December 1997, when the Chicago Bulls were celebrating their fifth NBA title over the Utah Jazz. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, his teammate and right-hand man, decided to exchange Christmas gifts that were decidedly out of the ordinary. Champion-level gifts, you might say.
According to journalist Melissa Isaacson in an ESPN article, Pippen had a personalized earring made, decorated with diamonds and shaped like the NBA trophy. Jordan, initially intending to give him a “simple” box of cigars (though we know it would have been the most exclusive ever), changed his mind at the last moment and opted for something much more exclusive. He chose his red Ferrari 550 Maranello, a car Pippen had always desired.
In 1997, the Prancing Horse supercar had a value of approximately $170,000, equivalent to over $330,000 today. A gift few could afford, but one Jordan gave with the ease of someone who dominated an era. Even today, this story represents a perfect example of friendship between champions, certainly, but also of star-level excess and passion for luxury cars.
