LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were bounced from the first round of the NBA playoffs Monday night in a gut-wrenching 108-106 defeat at the hands of defending NBA champion Nuggets, consummated by Jamal Murray’s game-winning, pull-up jumper with 3.6 seconds remaining.
The loss marks the earliest playoff exit for James and an inflection point in the 21-year career of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, who turned 39 in December.
Despite James’ unprecedented longevity, managing 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game, in addition to a career-high 41 percent 3-point mark this year, as he turns 40 next season, questions over his ability to sustain his level of play have dominated the headlines.
Though James has always kept his intentions obscured in rumor and cryptic postgame comments, one thing the national media seems to be sure of is his intention to fulfill his dream of playing alongside his son Bronny Jr., who has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft.
Whether we see the elder James decide to remain with the Lakers or join the team that drafts his son next season (or, if he decides to shock the sports world by calling it quits), now is as good a time as ever to take a look at the LeBron James cllct portfolio, highlighting his most valuable collectibles, as well as some of his more attainable items.
Cards
In April 2021, PWCC announced a private $5.2 million sale of a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Parallel RPA limited to 23 copies and graded BGS 9. At the time, this set the mark for the most valuable basketball card ever sold, which was soon surpassed by a July 2021 sale of a 2009 one-of-one Stephen Curry National Treasures Rookie Logoman Autograph card.
Though a large swath of James’ rookie cards command extremely high prices, one can find options in the more obscure reaches of the hobby. His 2003 Campioni Di Futuro #5 Gold /500 rookie card in PSA 10 condition has a CardLadder value of $1,199. The card hails from an intriguing Italian multi-sport set which also features rookie cards of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Sidney Crosby, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Roger Federer and Alexander Ovechkin.
Magazines
A rare signed example of James’ iconic 2002 Sports Illustrated ‘Chosen One’ issue, graded CGC 8.0, sold for $5,520 at Heritage in November 2023.
These issues (unsigned) are plentiful and pretty cost-effective at any grade, with one of the dozens of newsstand copies graded CGC 9.8 available for under $2,000 and down to the mid-to-low hundreds for lower graded examples.
LeBron James magazines on ebay
Jerseys
Sotheby’s sold James’ 2013 NBA Finals Game 7 game-worn jersey for $3,680,000 in January 2023, setting a record for a James game-worn jersey. The jersey was photo-matched to his 37-point performance in his first NBA Finals Game 7 appearance, when he clinched his second NBA title.
There are a surprising amount of options for collectors looking to pick up signed James jerseys on eBay, with many examples, accompanied by COAs, selling in the sub-$3,000 range.
Sneakers
A pair of game-worn LeBron James Nike Air Zoom sneakers photo-matched to his second NBA game sold for $222,000 in May 2023, a record for any pair of James game-worn sneakers. His debut sneakers have never surfaced for public offering, likely making this pair the earliest example of James’ game-worn NBA sneakers attainable to public collectors.
James-signed sneakers are going to be tough to find on a normal collector’s budget. There are a few options on eBay in the sub-$5,000 range with questionable COAs, and a few at around double the cost featuring more sturdy authentication from Upper Deck.
Balls
A basketball signed by Barack Obama, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Carmelo Anthony from a 2010 pick-up game held in honor of then-President Barack Obama’s 49th birthday sold at Heritage for $99,000 in February 2022. President Obama remarked, "One of the perks of being president is, you can invite people to the White House and they show up.”
Signed basketballs from James can be found on eBay for around $5,000 or less, including COAs from Upper Deck.
NFTs
An NBA Top Shot NFT, featuring a dunk from James’ 2020 season, limited to /59, sold at Heritage Auctions for $387,600 in April 2021. That sale, conducted outside the typical ecosystem of the NBA Top Shot marketplace, remains an all-time record for the platform.
~Far more attainable~ Top Shot moments featuring James can currently be found on the Top Shot platform for as little as $2.
Tickets
If you are looking for something awesome and attainable from LeBron’s career look no further than his NBA debut ticket. This game in 2003 at Sacramento is, without a doubt, the most hyped NBA debut of all time. It had its own Nike commercial for god sakes! PSA has graded 31 fulls and 99 stubs.
The record price for a LeBron debut is the $40,800 paid for a full debut in a 7 at Heritage in Nov. 2021, but a recent full sold at Heritage in February for only $7,200.
Lower graded stubs (PSA 3) can be had for $3,000.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct. You can follow him on X at @Will__Stern.