Want to own history-making memorabilia from LeBron James? Well, you’re in luck. Sotheby’s is auctioning off the Los Angeles Lakers jersey James wore when he became the second player to surpass the 38,000-career points mark and the rim from the game the future Hall of Famer broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. Both items are expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Bidding for the jersey has already topped $300,000 as Sotheby’s estimates it could reach up to $500,000. James wore the jersey on Jan. 15, 2023, when the Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76ers at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in Los Angeles. During the game, James would become the second NBA player ever to reach the 38,000-point mark, moving one step closer to breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.
“James surpassed the 38,000-point mark with a first-quarter jumper, nailing the shot — a 20-foot jumper over P.J. Tucker off an assist from Russell Westbrook — with 5:43 left in the first quarter to give the Lakers a 20-17 lead,” writes Sotheby’s in the description lot.
Less than a month later, James would go on to break Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record on Feb. 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in front of his home crowd. With just 11 seconds left in the third quarter in his 1,410th career game, James made his signature fadeaway jump shot, surpassing Kareem’s 38,387 points. Abdul-Jabbar held the record for nearly 39 years. It took James 150 fewer games than Abdul-Jabbar to claim the scoring crown.
Now, one lucky collector can own the rim where that memorable bucket was scored.
“In response to his record being broken, Kareem wrote: ‘Whenever a sports record is broken — including mine — it’s a time for celebration. It means someone has pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible to a whole new level. And when one person climbs higher than the last person, we all feel like we are capable of being more,'” notes Sotheby’s in the rim’s description lot.
Sotheby’s estimates the rim will sell between $150,000 to $250,000.
Last year, Sotheby’s sold James’ NBA Finals Miami Heat jersey he wore in the Game 7 win against the San Antonio Spurs for an astounding $3.68 million. It’s the most ever paid for a LeBron game-used jersey.
LeBron James’ 2013 NBA Finals Game 7 jersey has sold at auction for $3.68 million.
It’s Sotheby's 3rd-most expensive NBA jersey ever sold, and a record for any LeBron jersey. pic.twitter.com/WWmXVD9cNB
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 27, 2023
Bidding for both items ends April 10.