A Miami Heat jersey worn by LeBron James during his Game 7 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals sold for over $3.6 million, breaking the record paid for a game-worn jersey.
‘Today’s tremendous result comes at a pivotal time in LeBron James’ career, where he is in arm’s reach of clenching the all-time points record – one of the NBA’s most revered accolades,’ Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables Brahm Wachter said.
The Game 7 Jersey
The game-worn jersey LeBron James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals has sold for over $3.6 mil. The price is five times the previous record for a sports memorabilia worn by James.
The sale of the #6 white Miami Heat jersey was announced by Sotheby’s on Friday. It was a key part of James’ 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and his back-to-back NBA Finals MVP awards.
James scored a team-high 37 points and added 12 rebounds to help the Miami Heat claim their second straight championship. He also had four assists and two steals, while shooting 5-of-10 from 3-point range and 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
It was a dazzling performance that helped the Heat win their first title in franchise history and earned him his fourth MVP. The performance was also the highest point total for a Game 7 in NBA Finals history, according to Sotheby’s.
Despite his age, James is still considered one of the best basketball players in the world and his popularity has grown dramatically since his arrival in the NBA. This memorabilia is a reminder of the night he shut down his critics, which is why it’s so valuable.
Another high-value piece of memorabilia is a jersey Kobe Bryant wore in the 2007-08 season. This jersey is expected to fetch somewhere between $5 million and $7 million in an auction next month.
On top of that, a jersey worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals has already sold for $10.1 million, and Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal jersey from the 1986 World Cup was valued at $9.3 million.
As the NBA points king, James needs just 178 points to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career tally of 38,387 points. He is projected to pass the record in the next fortnight and will soon surpass Kyrie Irving as the league’s leading scorer.
If this sale is any indication, Sotheby’s will see an uptick in interest in game-worn sports memorabilia. The auction house previously sold a jersey used by James in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game for $630,000. It is the third-highest-paid game-worn memorabilia of all time, trailing a jersey used by Michael Jordan in the 1998 NBA Finals and Diego Maradona’s “Hand Of God” goal jersey from the 1986 World Cup.
The Auction
The jersey worn by NBA star LeBron James during Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals sold for over $3.6 million at auction. This was the highest price ever paid for a game-worn jersey. Sotheby’s said the sale broke their previous record of five times the jersey’s original purchase price.
The game in which James scored his 37 points and dished out 12 rebounds was one of the most dramatic moments of his career. Miami Heat star Ray Allen hit a three-pointer with five seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, and James responded by scoring 17 points in the extra frame. Ultimately, the Heat won the game 103-100 in a thriller that was considered one of the most thrilling games in recent NBA history.
That game marked the end of a historic season for the Heat, who won their second consecutive championship while claiming James’ back-to-back Finals MVP trophies. It also came after a Game 6 thriller in which the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs by just two points after trailing by as many as 30 points in the second half.
As the NBA season comes to a close, James needs just 178 points to overtake Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387-point all-time point total, one of the most revered in sports. He has a chance to achieve his goal in the upcoming All-Star Game.
Despite his team’s disappointing loss in the Western Conference finals, James had an exceptional season overall. He averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, racking up four NBA Finals MVP awards.
But the moment that stands out amongst all of James’ NBA accomplishments is Game 7 in the 2012-13 NBA Finals. That was a game in which the Miami Heat won the NBA title after going down by as many as 30 points in the first half.
In the final game of that series, James sunk 37 points, including five three-pointers, to lead the Heat to a 95-88 victory over the Spurs. His performance was a masterclass.
Now, he is on the brink of securing his third NBA championship and his fourth Finals MVP award. That’s an accomplishment that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
The Buyer
LeBron James’ jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals has sold for over $3.6 million, making it the third-highest priced game-worn jersey ever auctioned. The shirt, which the NBA star wore during his team’s 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in 2013, is being sold as part of Sotheby’s first sports memorabilia sale of 2023.
The buyer, who resides in New York, purchased the shirt on Friday. The shirt is a rare collector’s item and is estimated to be worth between $3 million and $5 million.
Sotheby’s has seen interest in sports memorabilia grow recently, as they saw a $10.1 million sale of Michael Jordan’s game-worn 1998 NBA Finals jersey. The firm also sold Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey for $9.3 million last year, and it is estimated that more sports memorabilia auctions will be held in the future, according to Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables.
James, who has won back-to-back titles with the Miami Heat, is now less than 120 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 career points. That tally is one of the most coveted and long-standing records in basketball history.
He currently sits atop the NBA’s list of global jersey sales for the past season, ahead of Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Having the top-selling jersey of any player in the world means everything to James, who says it is his favorite thing about being a professional athlete.
His jersey from that memorable Game 7 win is a must-have for any collector of rare NBA memorabilia. It’s been a major moment in James’s career, and is still considered by many to be the best game-winning performance of his career.
That night, James exploded in Game 7, scoring a game-high 37 points to lead the Heat to their second straight title. He also had a double-double with 12 rebounds and four assists in the win. Throughout the season, James averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. He earned his fourth MVP award during the regular season and the most valuable player of the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.
The Final Price
LeBron James’ jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals sold for over $3.6 million at auction on Friday, setting a new record. The sale came as interest in James’ jerseys is at a premium, especially as he inches closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time points record.
The jersey was worn during a historic Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, which led to James’ second championship. In that game, James scored a team-high 37 points, along with 12 rebounds, in the Heat’s 95-88 victory.
This was the first time a jersey from a Game 7 has been sold at Sotheby’s, and it was the third-highest price paid for an NBA jersey at the auction house. The jersey’s $43 million final price placed it just behind Michael Jordan’s game-worn jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals ($10.7 million) and Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal jersey in the 1986 World Cup ($9.3 million).
As it turns out, the high bid for James’ jersey at Sotheby’s surpassed the previous record for a game-worn jersey, which was $630,000 in 2020. Sotheby’s also sold a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection rookie patch autograph card for $5.2 million in 2021, making it one of the most expensive sports memorabilia items ever to hit the market.
In addition, the jersey is a rare piece of memorabilia from the era in which the Miami Heat won back-to-back titles and James won two NBA Finals MVP awards. It’s a memorabilia item that will likely be coveted by collectors for years to come.
The jersey was auctioned by Sotheby’s during their inaugural “The One” showcase on January 27, a timed event to coincide with James’ projected passing of Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time scoring leader. Sotheby’s previously sold other memorable sports memorabilia pieces at its shows, including Michael Jordan’s game-worn Last Dance jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals and Diego Maradona’s “Hand Of God” goal jersey.
