Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
A surefire Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest basketball player in the history of the sport, it makes sense why NBA fans would clamor at the opportunity to own some of King James’ personal items. James has previously auctioned off items before, with numerous shoes selling for tens of thousands of dollars. However, the latest James memorabilia auction seems to have raised the bar to an entirely new level.
LeBron James’ High School Jersey Sells for Insane Amount of Money
The jersey LeBron wore for his first SI cover sold for $187,500 early this morning in a @GoldinAuctions sale. Highest price paid for a LeBron jersey yet.
The iconic LeBron James St. Vincent-St. Mary’s jersey worn in James’ 2002 Sports Illustrated cover shoot was auctioned off for an incredible $187,500 through Goldin Auctions. This marks the single highest amount of money paid for any LeBron James-related memorabilia and actually passes the mark set by Michael Jordan – whose Bulls final game jersey sold for a whopping $173,240 back in 2015.
A junior in high school at the time of the cover story, the article catapulted James into the public eye and turned him from a super prospect to a national sensation. His junior season, James averaged 29 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game en route to his second straight Ohio Mr. Basketball as well as his first USA Today player of the year award.
James would go on to put together a dominant senior season (both on the stat sheet and in the win column) leading his team to a 25-1 record including a state and national title, James would average 30.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game and once again took home Mr. Basketball and earned state tournament MVP honors. While already widely considered the top prospect in his class, James’ senior showing only further cemented his status as the most hyped prospect to ever enter the NBA.
Now entering his 17th season in the league with the NBA’s all-time scoring mark in his sights, it seems fans are scrambling to get their hands on any and all James memorabilia before he retires and the prices shoot up astronomically.
Other Notable LeBron James Auctions
While not technically LeBron James memorabilia, his 2003 rookie card also was up for bidding alongside the St. Vincent-St. Mary’s jersey. James’ rookie card would actually outsell his jersey and went for $270,600. The card – listed in exquisite condition – comes featuring James’ autograph as well as a patch from one of his game-worn jerseys.
Aside from his monster jersey & card auctions, James (as mentioned above) has auctioned off numerous items over the years. Last year, he put a number of his game-worn shoes on sale with the proceeds going to support his I Promise school.
Professional golfer Bubba Watson was one of the high profile bidders on the shoes and came away with a pair of LeBron’s game-worn Nike LeBron Soldier 11’s, worn during the 2017 NBA Finals. Watson wound up paying $30,000 for the shoes, a mere drop in the hat compared to the astronomical price for his high school jersey.