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 arguably the top attraction of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. As a result — in addition to a presumably hopeful projection for his burgeoning pro career — Bronny’s Summer League jersey was far and away the No. 1 selection in terms of the price it earned at an auction on Friday.
James’ game-worn jersey sold for $38,400 at Sotheby’s “Summer League Selects” auction. It was expected to go for $6,000-$10,000.
That drew a far higher bid than the uniform 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 sell for $15,600.
Bronny’s jersey nearly outsold his father’s at the Sotheby’s auction. A LeBron jersey worn for the Lakers’ Nov. 15, 2023 game versus the Sacramento Kings — in which he scored a triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists — went for $42,000, only $3,600 more than his son’s Summer League jersey.
By comparison, Victor Wembanyama’s Summer League debut jersey sold for $62,020 last year after he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. His regular-season debut jersey went for $762,000. Bronny’s jersey likely won’t approach 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 eye-popping numbers. But they did come in Bronny’s first NBA action, albeit in an exhibition setting.
If LeBron’s son ends up having a respectable NBA career, that jersey could be a notable keepsake. But maybe owning the jersey isn’t just about the money for the fan and collector who made the final bid.
