Topline
A Miami Heat jersey worn by LeBron James during the 2013 NBA Finals sold for over $3.6 million Friday, making it the third most valuable game-worn jersey ever auctioned and the highest-selling price ever for a jersey worn by James, according to Sotheby’s.
LeBron James during Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals
Key Facts
The #6 jersey, worn by LeBron James during the Miami Heat’s Game 7 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals, sold for $3.68 million, according to the New York City-based auction house Sotheby’s.
The final bid marks the third-highest price for a game-worn jersey ever sold by Sotheby’s, trailing Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey ($10.1 million) and Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal jersey ($9.3 million) worn during the 1986 World Cup, according to Sotheby’s.
It’s the most valuable game-worn James jersey ever sold, Sotheby’s added, after his jersey from the 2020 NBA All-Star Game auctioned for $630,000.
Big Number
$5.2 million. That’s how much a signed LeBron James rookie card sold for in 2021, according to trading card firm PWCC Marketplace. It’s the second-highest selling price for a basketball card ever, trailing a $5.9 million sale for a 2009 Stephen Curry rookie card.
What To Watch For
A Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn by the late Kobe Bryant during the lone season he was named the NBA’s most valuable player could sell for as much as $7 million in an auction next month—which would nearly double the sale reached by James’ jersey.
Key Background
A seventh game in the 2013 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs—resulting in James’ second NBA Championship—followed a historic Game 6 in which Miami’s Ray Allen hit a game-tying three-pointer in the game’s closing seconds. James finished with a game-high 37 points and 12 rebounds en route to winning his second-straight NBA Finals MVP award. That season’s championship marks the final title won by James during his four-year stint in Miami.
Further Reading
Kobe Bryant’s Lakers Jersey From His MVP Season Heads To Auction (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/01/27/lebron-james-jersey-from-2013-nba-finals-sells-for-36-million-at-auction/