Bronny James was far from the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He was selected 55th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers to become a teammate of his father, LeBron James.
However, he was arguably the biggest draw for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. As a result — along with a likely hopeful omen for his blossoming pro career — Bronny’s Summer League jersey was by far the No. 1 selection in terms of the price it fetched at auction on Friday.
The jersey James wore during the game sold for $38,400 at Sotheby’s Summer League Selects auction. It was expected to sell for $6,000 to $10,000.
That drew a much higher bid than the uniform top for first-round draft pick Zaccharie Risacher. The Atlanta Hawks rookie jersey sold for $3,360, according to The Athletic. The Houston Rockets Summer League jersey of third-round pick Reed Sheppard sold for $15,600.
Bronny’s jersey nearly outsold his father’s at the Sotheby’s auction. A LeBron jersey he wore for the Lakers’ Nov. 15, 2023, game against the Sacramento Kings, in which he recorded a triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, sold for $42,000, just $3,600 more than his son’s Summer League jersey.
For 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 likely won’t reach that figure.
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 mind-blowing numbers. But they did come in Bronny’s first NBA action, albeit in a sort of preseason setting.
If LeBron’s son goes on to have a respectable NBA career, that jersey could be a notable keepsake. But maybe owning that jersey isn’t just about the money for the fan and collector who made the final bid.
