An exclusive trading card depicting US basketball superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is expected to fetch more than $6 million at an auction this week, according to the auctioneers selling it.
The one-of-a-kind card, which was found during a social media event after a 12-month search, features the 18-time NBA All-Star includes patches taken from jerseys James has worn throughout his career.
Canadian rapper Drake had bought 10 cases of basketball cards to try and find the elusive collector’s item.
“The best comparison that I can use for the modern reader is imagine Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, looking for that golden ticket,” Ken Goldin, executive chairman of auctioneers Goldin, told Reuters. “And then imagine there was only one golden ticket instead of five.”
An “ultra-rare” rookie card signed by James, a four-time NBA champion, previously broke the record for most expensive basketball card sold last year, fetching $5.2 million.
The auction for the new card featuring patches from James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers jerseys – opens on Wednesday and closes on June 25.
The sale comes after James became the first active player in NBA history with a net worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
In the Forbes list of highest-paid world athletes from May 2021 to May 2022, James ranked second in total income with $121.2 million, trailing only Argentine playmaker and Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi’s $130 million.