“Bro does not care… Everything that’s being said about him, he really does not care,” is what LeBron James said about his son Bronny when asked about the rampant media criticism. But yet the 19-year-old finds himself in the middle of another storm that will sting not just him, but also his superstar father…

As Sotheby’s—one of the world’s largest auction houses—“Summer League Selects” auction concluded, the 19-year-old’s jersey from his summer league debut with the LA Lakers sold for a whopping $38,400 earlier this month. Notably, the rising star had made his debut on July 6 this year, with a 108-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings. In 21 minutes of play, James had scored four points on 2-for-9 shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 assists. To brush up your memory, the star kid was the 55th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Lakers.

2024 NBA Draft’s No.1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher’s jersey, on the other hand, sold for a measly $3,360. The French NBA star, who signed with the Atlanta Hawks made his NBA Summer League debut, just six days after the former USC Trojans basketball player, against the Washington Wizards—he recorded 18 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the 94–88 loss. What’s even more surprising?

A jersey King James himself wore in a November 15 regular season game against the Kings last year sold for $42,000—a mere $3,600 more than his son. Keep in mind, this was also a match where The Akron Hammer had score a triple double. But before we go on passing judgement, it’s to be noted that Bronny’s jersey’s heightened value can also be due to his family name and the spotlight he’s enjoyed from a young age. With 13.4 million followers across Instagram(7.5M), TikTok(5.8M) and X(24K), the shooting guard has a NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) value of $3.2 million. This already makes him an attractive option to bidders. Not many thinks so as the towering figure was enough to invite troublemakers…

The Athletic’s No Dunks podcasters accused LeBron James of buying the jersey himself. In the latest episode hosted by J.E. Skeets and Trey Kerby planted an accusation out of thin air. Speaking of the lofty price, Skeets said, “Jersey was originally estimated to sell for $6K-$10k. Bronny’s Summer League jersey, a game in which I think he scored two points (4 points, 2-9 FG). He struggled. It was not a great performance but it was his first game. 38K and this was a part of like Summer League auction. So, they had other jerseys from some of the rookies.”

Trey Kerby: “I was clicking through, seeing all kinds of stuff. Obviously, a lot of Summer League rookies like Bronny’s went a lot more than Zaccharie Risacher’s did… But this will look sweet in LeBron’s man cave.”J.E. Skeets: “You think he bought it?”Trey Kerby: “I don’t know [both laughing]. $38,000 is a lot of money unless you’re a billionaire. [Pausing for effect] On a Summer League jersey.”J.E. Skeets: “Yeah, yeah. It could be LeBron.” 

When Kerby hinted, “$38,000 is a lot of money unless you’re a billionaire,” it’s absolutely true. In 2022, LeBron James became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire. As per Forbes, the 39-year-old earned more than $480 million in salary (pre-tax) with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010 and 2014-2018), the Miami Heat (2010-2014) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2018-present). Additionally, he earned over $900 million pre-tax from business ventures and endorsement deals with Nike and PepsiCo, among others. However, Kerby’s co-host agreed to disagree as he…

Skeets defends LeBron James amid Kerby’s blatant blame

J.E. Skeets was quick to highlight a logical question, asking, “Yeah, it could be LeBron, but then it’s like I mean couldn’t he just say, ‘Hey, I want that’.”

Yes, that sounds right. LeBron James could’ve asked his son to give him the jersey after the game. But then again, there’s also another aspect attached to it. A heightened auction price—the jersey was originally estimated to be sold at $6,000 to$10,000—may also determine the rising star’s value in the market, and fetch him great deals in endorsements, just like his predecessors.

USA Today via Reuters

Take Victor Wembanyama, for example. The 2023 #1 pick’s summer league debut jersey sold for $62,020 last year. His regular season debut game jersey which he wore in the second half of his match against the Dallas Mavericks sold for a mammoth $762,000. Till date, it is the sixth-most valuable jersey ever sold at Sotheby’s. And how did that help Wembenyama? The San Antonio Spurs star signed an endorsement contract as ambassador with Louis Vuitton in February this year. Then in June last year, he also signed an autograph exclusivity deal with Fanatics, which is estimated to be worth $5 million per year.

Apart from that, he also has a partnership with Barcode in July 2023 and another deal with Nike even before his NBA debut that’s said to be worth $100 million. Hence, the Wembanyama example seems to give a little insight into what may have gone behind the jersey’s auction price. At the same time, it could be an ardent fan or anyone who thinks the value of the jersey might blow up in the future…

So, what do you make of the accusations? Let us know in the comments.