2000 LeBron James Ohio High School Division III Championship Game Worn & Dual-Signed Sneakers--Apparent Photo Match....

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Sold on Feb 25, 2023 for:

$102,000.00 Bid Source: Internet bidder

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The earliest LeBron James game worn material known!

2000 LeBron James Ohio High School Division III Championship Game Worn & Dual-Signed Sneakers--Apparent Photo Match. Our consignor Eddie Jackson, who had been LeBron James' stepfather, supplies a detailed letter of provenance we will transcribe here:

"This letter accompanies a pair of Jump Man Swift 6 shoes that were worn by LeBron James during the 1999-2000 Ohio High School Division III Championship Game between undefeated Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and Jamestown Greenview. Each shoe is signed, and inscribed by LeBron with "#23" and "1999-2000 State Champs." The 1999-2000 season was LeBron's freshman year and his first State title. LeBron's performance in the championship game, with 25 points and 9 rebounds en route to victory, earned him national attention for the first time. Accompanying the shoes and this letter is an original photo of LeBron playing in the championship game with the shoes on, as well as the original box for the shoes. LeBron gave me these shoes after the championship match and signed them for me."

Certainly it's difficult to overstate the historical significance of these shoes that carried the name "LeBron James" into the public consciousness for the first time at age fifteen, the earliest known game worn gear from one of the Mount Rushmore figures of the sport. The size "14" sneakers exhibit marvelous wear suggesting far more than a single game's action, and one can't help but be drawn to the "Jordan" and Jumpman logo branding that offers a premonition of a billion comparisons to be made between these two hardcourt elites over the decades to come. Each inscription and signature appears in bold black sharpie, providing an early, very rare and very legible autograph format. The included original shoe box exhibits quite a bit of wear from storage in James' modest childhood home, its $130 price tag representing one of the last times James would pay somebody else to wear their sneakers, rather than the other way around.

Additional photos and video are presented online of LeBron playing in the shoes in the Semi-Championship game and Championship game.

In its photo matching LOA, Sports Investors writes "...all evidence supports and suggests this being an apparent match to the shoes LeBron wore during his freshman year high school state finals." Full LOA from Beckett Authentication Services for each shoe. Full LOA from PSA/DNA for each shoe. Letter of provenance from Eddie Jackson. Photo Match LOA from Sports Investors Authentication. LOA from Heritage Auctions.