Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has an inordinate amount of value attached to his name — arguably the most of any athlete of the 21st century.
That value was shown Saturday night when collector Leore Avidar spent $1.8 million on a rare rookie card of James, according to Darren Rovell of The Action Network. The card is an exquisite rookie patch, and only 23 of them were made. An autograph from James comes on the card, along with a patch of his jersey from his rookie season.
Avidar’s payout at the auction set a record for any card that was made in 1980 or later, according to an Instagram post from SportsCenter.
According to Forbes, James is the world’s fifth-highest paid athlete this year, with Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar being the top four.
With James continuing to build multiple streams of income, especially after consolidating his media businesses in the SpringHill Company, he will likely continue to be one of the richest athletes on the globe. Along with his growing wealth, James’ value in merchandising such as sports cards should continue to increase.
James and the Lakers will prepare for a title run beginning July 30, when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers on opening night of the NBA’s restart.
