by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
November 22, 2023
The item was expected to fetch between $80,000 and $120,000
The basketball jersey that San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama wore in his NBA debut sold for a staggering $762,000 on Nov. 21.
According to ESPN, the item set a record for the highest-selling game-worn jersey by a rookie. The jersey, which was auctioned by Sotheby’s was expected to fetch between $80,000 and $120,000 but came in more than six times the highest estimate when it was bought for the $762,000 price.
Sotheby’s auctioned off Victor Wembanyama’s game-worn jersey from his NBA debut.
It was expected to sell for between $80k – $120k.
Bidding just closed and it sold for a record-breaking $762,000.
That’s the highest amount ever paid for rookie jersey pic.twitter.com/CnAYC7Xtl2
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) November 21, 2023
The auction house listed the jersey on its website when it announced the auction.
“This ‘Rookie Debut Game’ jersey was worn in the first game of Victor Wembanyama’s NBA career. It was also the first home game of his career, and additionally he registered his first Slam Dunk in this jersey. Worn on Oct. 25, 2023, when the San Antonio Spurs played the Dallas Mavericks, ‘Wemby’ finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. The Spur lost to the Mavericks, 126-119. This jersey was worn during the 2nd half of the game,” the description read.
ESPN reported that Sotheby’s stated that this particular auction had 176 people bidding across 14 countries with an average of 24 bids per lot. The San Antonio rookie’s debut jersey lot produced 62 bids alone. The auction house said it was one of the “highest levels of participation for a sports memorabilia auction at Sotheby’s.”
In the same auction, the rookie debut jersey of the player picked right after Wembanyama, the No. 2 overall pick Scoot Henderson, was sold for $19,050. The No. 3 pick, Brandon Miller had his debut jersey bought at a higher price at $27,940.
A month into his rookie season in 2020, the jersey worn by New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson in his NBA debut sold for $80,040.
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