More than 20 years after LeBron James appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School jersey he wore for the photoshoot is available for purchase through a Julien’s Auctions event in Hong Kong.
Bidding for James’ high school jersey includes photos from his game against the Archbishop Hoban Knights on Feb. 3, 2002. The game pictures, like the Sports Illustrated cover shoot, were taken by photographer Michael Le Brecht II.
James at the time was a prominent high school prospect who already was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft despite only being a junior.
Sports Illustrated put James on their cover with “The Chosen One” as a caption. The jersey and photoshoot has since gone down in LeBron lore, which is not lost on Julien’s Auctions, per Rustin Dodd of The Athletic:
“This storied jersey represents the pivotal moment of LeBron’s ascension to basketball royalty,” David Goodman, CEO of Julien’s Auction, said in a statement.
James’ iconic high school jersey previously sold for $512,200 when it was made available through Julien’s Auction house in 2021. That came two years after Goldin Auctions sold James’ St. Vincent-St. Mary jersey for a more modest $187,500.
Now as the all-time NBA leading scorer, there’s some belief bidding for the No. 23 Irish jersey could ultimately land between $1-2 million. Such a price would set a record for any game-worn high school jersey.
It would be a fitting achievement to pair with James becoming the first high school junior to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
LeBron James misses Lakers championship team
James has added onto individual success during his Lakers career, which also includes one championship amid multiple years of otherwise underwhelming, if not disappointing, results.
James recently expressed his affinity for the 2019-2020 Lakers team that won the NBA Finals in the Walt Disney World bubble. The roster didn’t get an opportunity to truly defend its title, however, as the team underwent multiple personnel changes before the ensuing season.
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