Everything you touch turns to gold and is only a fable expression. In the case of LeBron James, that could be in the works of becoming reality. 22 years ago, a teenager from Akron stood for a photo shoot in his high school’s gym. Michael LeBrecht, the photographer didn’t make much back then. “I’m never going to photograph anything more iconic than that” he says today. It’s because the frame would end up being the cover of the 2022 Sports Illustrated magazine.

It’s where James would earn the nickname “The Chosen One”. And it was believed to be the moment the King officially got his crown. A lesser-known detail is that he wore the same jersey during a high school game. Predictably, for a collector, the item is a gem. And at the  Julien’s Auctions event in Hong Kong, it will be available to purchase.

The auctioneer project the auction prize to be $1-2 million according to The New York Times. It is sufficient to make it the most exorbitant high school item ever sold. However, just like the career of LeBron James, the longer it goes, the more valuable it gets. Hence, the officials at Julien’s believe it could one day beat out Babe Ruth’s record-setting $24.12 million auction sale for his game-worn Game 3 jersey from the 1932 World Series.

“This storied jersey represents the pivotal moment of LeBron’s ascension to basketball royalty,” said David Goodman about the iconic jersey.

The auction will be held on September 27 in both offline and online modes. Previously, LeBron James’ St. Vincent St. Mary jersey sold for $512,000 at Julien’s in 2021. Judging by it’s path, even Babe Ruth’s historic jersey went through multiple auctions before it home run’ed every sports auction record.

Which is the most expensive LeBron James auction item?

Through his prestigious basketball career, LeBron James has achieved innumerable milestones. Some of the tokens from those moments have gone for sale before. For example, the Akron Hammer’s Game 7 jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals sold for an audacious $3.7 million last year. It is the highest price fetched for a LeBron James jersey to date.

But that still doesn’t account for his most expensive auction sale to date. Shockingly enough, the most expensive LeBron James auction item is a trading card.

The 2003-04 LeBron James Exquisite Collection Rookie Parallel Card sold for a whopping $5.2 million in 2021. Rookie cards are generally the highest-valued collectible attached to a basketball player. Previously, a Luka Doncic rookie card had sold for over $4 million, the previous record before the King’s card went on sale.

Since then, James has carved an abundance of history and records in the NBA. Moreover, he is also nearing his retirement. Accounting for these, his high school jersey from the Sports Illustrated cover could eventually attract a ludicrous price tag. Yet the chances of it surpassing Ruth’s record seem bleak.