The Hummer that LeBron James drove in high school is up for auction
Hey, who’s interested in buying a high schooler’s 2003 Hummer for a few hundred thousand dollars?
The Hummer H2 that LeBron James drove as a senior at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School — the same one that earned him an investigation from the Ohio High School Athletic Association — will be sold to the highest online bidder by Goldin Auctions on Dec. 8, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
The reported Kelley Blue Book value for the 2003 Hummer H2 is roughly $18,000, but Goldin Auctions president Ken Goldin told Rovell that he anticipates the vehicle will “definitely” fetch six figures. LeBron’s pewter-colored (now white) Hummer was outfitted with a custom sound system, three televisions and a video-game console. The real value, however, is the bizarre story behind the vehicle.
The Hummer became the subject of much debate in 2003, when James began driving it shortly after his 18th birthday. The OHSAA launched an investigation to determine whether James violated the state’s amateur bylaws by accepting a reward for his athletic achievement valued at more than $100.
Ultimately, OHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro determined that James had successfully skirted the rules. According to the investigation, it was LeBron’s mother, Gloria, who had taken out the $50,000 loan against her son’s future earning power and gifted the vehicle to him on his 18th birthday.
Four days after he was cleared in the Hummer drama, James was ruled ineligible by the OHSAA for accepting two throwback jerseys valued at $845. He took the state’s governing body to court and won the appeal, ultimately leading St. Vincent-St. Mary to a third state championship in his four seasons.
The Hummer was put up for auction on eBay in December 2013 and could have been had for $64,800.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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