Bronny James was far from the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, selected No. 55 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers to be teammates with his father, LeBron James.
However, he was probably the main attraction for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. As a result – apart from a presumably hopeful projection for his budding professional career – Bronny’s Summer League jersey was far and away the first choice for the price it fetched at auction on Friday.
James’ game-worn jersey sold for $38,400 at Sotheby’s”Summer League Selections“auction, It was expected to go for $6,000-$10,000.
That drew a much higher bid than the uniform peak for No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher. The Atlanta Hawks rookie jersey sold for $3,360, according to The Athletic. No. 3 selection Reed Sheppard had his Houston Rockets Summer League jersey sold for $15,600.
Bronny’s jersey almost outsold his father’s at the Sotheby’s auction. A LeBron jersey worn for the Lakers’ Nov. 15, 2023 game against the Sacramento Kings — in which he scored a triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists — went for $42,000, just $3,600 more than the his son’s Summer League jersey. .
In comparison, Victor Wembanyama’s Summer League debut jersey sold for $62,020 last year after he was the No. 1 overall pick. His regular season debut jersey went for $762,000. Bronny’s jersey probably won’t come close to that number.
In his Summer League debut, also against the Kings, Bronny scored four points with two rebounds, two assists and a steal in a 104-98 loss. No, those weren’t flashy numbers. But they came in Bronny’s first NBA action, albeit in a preseason type of scenario.
If LeBron’s son ends up having a respectable NBA career, that jersey could be a remarkable memento. But maybe owning the jersey isn’t just about the money for the fan and collector who made the final bid.
