High School Jersey Worn by LeBron James on the Cover of Sports Illustrated Expected to Set New Record

The St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball jersey was worn by James on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was just a junior in high school. It sold for more than half a million dollars three years ago, it is expected to reach seven figures this time.

LeBron James holds an issue of Sports Illustrated on Feb. 13, 2002. James was on SI's cover as a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. / Phil Masturzo 1 / USA TODAY NETWORK

He was called 'The Chosen One,' after more than two decades in the National Basketball Association, LeBron James managed to exceed expectations.

Now his high school jersey, which he wore for a photo shoot and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2002, is up for bids as part of Julien's Auctions "Legends in Motion" event in Hong Kong.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Julien's Auctions (@juliens_auctions)

The jersey has been photo-matched by both MeiGray and Resolution. James also wore it after the shoot in a night game in which he scored 32 points.

The jersey sold for $512,200 in 2021 at Julien's Auctions, setting a record for a high school basketball jersey sold at auction. The piece now has a conservative estimate of $1-$2 million and is expected to make history again.

A jersey worn by James in the 2013 NBA Finals sold for $3.68 million in 2023.

A photo print limited to 23 titled, 'The Dunk' and signed by the photographer is also on sale. / Photo Courtesy of Julien's Auctions

The auction will begin to close on Sept. 27 at 10 pm EDT. As of this writing, there is one bid for $500,000, with more than one week to go.

Limited photo prints signed by the photographer Michael J. Le Brecht II will also be up for auction. / Photo Courtesy of Julien's Auctions

The auction is based out of Hong Kong, co-headlined by an extensive array of Bruce Lee memorabilia, clothing, and choreography notes.

Some of the Lee items available are designer sunglasses owned by the film star, screen-used "Enter the Dragon" stunt nunchakus, and personal and screen-used fighting gloves. The auction also features memorabilia of Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Lionel Messi, and Kobe Bryant memorabilia.

The screen-used "Enter the Dragon" nunchakus currently have a high bid of $40,000. / Photo Courtesy of Julien's Auctions