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LeBron James' HS jersey from 2002 SI cover up for auction with $500,000 expectations

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's LeBron James, left, guards Isaiah Swann (4) of Virginia's Oak Hill Academy during the first half of a nationally televised high school game Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002, in Cleveland. James is perhaps the most talked about high school basketball player ever and the probable No. 1 overall pick in next year's NBA draft. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

“The Chosen One” first graced cover pages and headlines in 2002. Now the high school jersey he wore is up for auction and already netting big bids.

LeBron James wore his gold high St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish High School No. 23 jersey on the cover of the Feb. 18, 2002, issue of Sports Illustrated. It was titled “The Chosen One” and introduced a star to the nation.

That jersey is now up for bid at Goldin Auctions with a minimum bid of $25,000. Mei Gray authenticated it in July and it was photo-matched by a separate company.

Four bids in as of Monday afternoon, it is already at $34,000 hours into opening. According to TMZ Sports, Goldin Auctions expects the jersey to sell for mid-six figures. It was reportedly given by James to a long-time friend.

The auction closes on Oct. 19.

James averaged 30.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while a senior and was named Ohio Mr. Basketball before taking over the NBA. He has three NBA championship, three Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs and 15 All-Star selections with more possibly to come with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Goldin Auction has bid off other James memorabilia over the years. His 2003 Hummer H2 was sold via eBay and auctioned off last year. In 2014, 47 pairs of his shoes were reportedly up for sale. And his autographed, mint rookie card set a sports memorabilia record for Goldin in 2016.

As part of its 2019 October Legends lot, Goldin Auction is accepting bids on, among others, a plethora of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trophies, rings and apparel; letters, awards and scrapbooks from James Naismith; a game-used rookie uniform of Larry Bird; and shoes and jerseys worn by Michael Jordan.

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