The allure of Victor Wembanyama's potential has been emphatically confirmed at a recent Sotheby’s auction, where the jersey he wore during his first NBA regular-season game was snapped up for a jaw-dropping $762,000. This sale significantly overshadows the pre-auction estimate of $80,000-$120,000 for the San Antonio Spurs memorabilia and sets a new benchmark for NBA rookie debut jerseys, trailing only behind the $3.6 million record for a Kobe Bryant rookie jersey sold in 2021.
The auction, which concluded on a Tuesday afternoon, saw frenzied bidding activity, particularly in the last quarter-hour, culminating in 62 bids. Wembanyama's game-worn jersey, sized for his impressive 7’4” stature, comes from a game on October 25 against the Dallas Mavericks, a match that ended in a 126-119 loss for the Spurs. In that game, the 19-year-old French prodigy recorded a notable stat line of 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block.
The teenager has made a solid start to his NBA career, averaging 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game thus far. Notably, a jersey worn by Wembanyama during his NBA Summer League debut had previously been auctioned for $62,000.
Sotheby’s debut as the NBA’s partner for game-worn jerseys was marked by this auction, which also featured nearly 60 other jerseys from season-opening games, collectively generating over $1.2 million. The sale attracted 176 bidders from 14 different countries, indicating a wide international interest.
In comparison, other NBA stars' jerseys sold at the auction commanded more modest figures, with LeBron James' jersey from the season opener fetching $50,820. The auction also included the first game jerseys of Damian Lillard with the Milwaukee Bucks at $30,480, Giannis Antetokounmpo's at $25,400, the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic's at $17,780, Steph Curry’s at $27,940, and Jayson Tatum’s, which sold for $8,890.