A jersey worn by basketball superstar LeBron James on Friday sold for US$3.7 million at auction, five times more than the previous record for one of his shirts.
The sale comes with interest even higher than usual in the 38-year-old Los Angeles Lakers icon as he nears the NBA’s all-time scoring record.
Sotheby’s in New York sold the jersey, which James wore while playing for the Miami Heat in their Game 7 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals.
Photo: AFP
It smashed the previous record of US$630,000 for a James All-Star jersey worn in 2020.
Game-worn sports memorabilia is big business.
Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for US$10.1 million in September last year, is currently the most valuable such item.
Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey sold for US$9.3 million at Sotheby’s in London last year.
James needs just 178 points to eclipse Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s tally of 38,387 points, one of the most coveted and longstanding records in basketball.
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