Bronny James' Summer League Debut Jersey Sold At Auction For A Cool $38,400
Gina Ferazzi. Getty Images.Ah yes, Bronny James' Summer League debut. How could any of us forget such a historic performance? It's not every day you see a 2nd round pick go out and score 8 points on 3-14 shooting in a 19 point loss to the Rockets
I think we can all agree if you have the opportunity to drop $38K to own that piece of NBA history, you have to take it. Now I don't want to rain on that persons parade, but "technically" that game wasn't even Bronny's debut. That came a few weeks earlier when he scored 4 points on 2-9 shooting in a 108-94 loss to the Kings in the opening game of the California Classic, but I suppose that's not called "Summer League" so maybe that's just semantics.
Assuming this wasn't LeBron or someone at Klutch buying that jersey, I'm having a hard time justifying that price tag. I'm certainly no expert on the memorabilia market or what sells and is good value, but as the 55th pick and a player who is still extremely raw, the odds are still very much against Bronny in terms of him developing into a rotational NBA player let alone a star. It's not like we haven't seen these types of jerseys go for crazy money before, Wemby's sold for like $60K last year, but those aren't exactly the same level of player.
When we're talking about generational talents, I can understand these insane price tags. You get in on an early Summer League Wemby jersey, that thing could be worth hundreds of thousands if not more when things are said and done. For example, his regular season debut jersey sold for over $760,000. For the unicorn players, I get it. But for fringe players like Bronny? How do you justify that price? Let's say Bronny carves out a nice role for himself in the NBA, what exactly is his ceiling as a player? A 3&D guy? NBA history isn't kind to the 55th pick turning into an All Star/MVP etc, so my brain is having a tough time processing how anyone could view this as a good investment. Unless this was LeBron putting down an insane number to make sure he won the auction, it just doesn't make a lick of sense.
Back in June/July I never really understood why so many people got all bent out of shape when it came to Bronny getting drafted by the Lakers and then getting the same type of guaranteed deal we've seen other late 2nd round picks get these last few years. Even if you think he sucks, that's what the 55th pick is for! You take a gamble! Nobody gave a shit when the Bucks gave their 58th pick that type of 4yr deal, nobody gave a shit when the Celts gave it to their 38th pick in Jordan Walsh who is just as raw and not NBA-ready as Bronny. But because it was LeBron's kid everyone freaked out. That seemed very weird to me. It felt more like people bitching and moaning just to bitch and moan because they hate LeBron or something.
I mean, I hate LeBron and the Lakers more than pretty much any human on the planet and even I couldn't bring myself to give two shits about them using the 55th pick on Bronny. Once the Celts passed on him at 54, we all knew he was going to the Lakers at 55 and if it blows up in their faces, so be it. It's just another thing we can make fun of the Lakers for, which in my book is a good thing.
