LeBron James is now a king in the auction world.
A rare collectible card of his rookie season with the Knights – only 23 were made – sold for a whopping $ 1.8 million on Saturday night at Goldin Auctions.
The card features James’ signature and a patch of one of his shirts, and the auction house said the heirloom is in “excellent condition”.
The sale marked a modern record for any sports playing card, surpassing a previous brand established in May when Goldin Auctions sold a signed Mike Trout rookie card for $ 922,500. Bidding on James’ signed card started at $ 150,000.
The Knights selected James as number 1 in the 2003 NBA draft. The highly regarded 19-year-old scored an average of 20.9 points and 5.9 assists in his first season, earning the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
Goldin auctions sold several high-profile basketball items during Saturday’s auction. A pair of Air Jordan sneakers signed and worn by Michael Jordan of his rookie season went for $ 369,000, while a 2000 Lakers championship donated by Kobe Bryant to his father Joe was ripped for $ 162,360.
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