What was impossible back then has become a reality as LeBron James breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. In a match that saw the Los Angeles Lakers lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder, most of the attention was on the King himself as he cemented his legacy by ascending to the top of the scoring mountain. As a result, his stock in the NBA card market has recently gained more hype, especially those produced for his rookie year in the league. We take a look below at James' cards in the hobby and how they're doing now that the Lakers' star has achieved this milestone in his career.
LeBron James and his new status as the NBA's all-time scoring leader
Right before the season started, a lot of people started to wonder whether LeBron James could attain enough points to break Abdul-Jabbar's hold on the scoring record. Entering his 20th year in the NBA, the King needed just 1,326 points more to make history happen. Turns out, the Los Angeles Lakers' star had enough gas in the tank to accomplish the massive fear after 44 games this season.
Throughout that period, James himself is defying father time by performing at a level no one expected from his age. Last regular season, the All-Star forward averaged 30.3 points on 52% shooting from the field, 35% from downtown, and 75% from the free throw line. Along with that kind of efficiency, James also added 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 56 games. This year, in 44 games he has played, James is currently notching 30.2 points by connecting 50% from the field, 31% from downtown, and 76% from the charity stripe while making 8.5 rebounds, 7 assists, and a single steal per contest. Doing these things at age 38 is rarely seen in the league and deserves recognition from NBA card collectors themselves.
With history right at his fingertips, James entered the Lakers' match against the Oklahoma City Thunder needing just 36 points to break Abdul-Jabbar's hold over the scoring record. Turns out, the King didn't even need the full game itself to ascend to the top of the mountain. In less than 34 minutes on the floor, James churned out 38 points on 65% shooting from the field and 66% from beyond the arc while adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. His performance came to a crescendo using a fadeaway shot that cemented James' place in NBA history.
The scary part here is James, like Abdul-Jabbar before him, isn't going to retire just yet. The Lakers' star has stated in several interviews that he wants to play alongside Bronny when the latter enters the league. Adding the fact that James is still playing at a high level is more than enough reason to believe that he's going to make sure no one is going to come close to his scoring record for a long time.
That's a good thing too, not only for fans of the game, but for those who are into the hobby of collecting sports cards. With James out there doing what he does best, card companies will continue to produce memorabilia of him, especially those that highlight the final phase of his legendary career. In turn, more and more collectors will feast on those LeBron James cards, especially now that he has broken a once-impossible record to truly become the best player of his generation.
The current state of LeBron James rookie cards
James' stock in the NBA card market has always been a hot one. Even those that feature the future Hall of Fame candidate in jerseys he has worn for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers have always trended well in the hobby. But above all of these offerings are LeBron James rookie cards, which without a doubt, are the best thing to hunt for as the All-Star forward recently became the league's all-time leading scorer.
Both BGS 9.5 and PSA 10 slabs of James' 2003 Topps Chrome rookie card are seeing a surge from where they were three months ago. The former has gone up from $3,050 to $3,650, which equates to a 19% increase in price. For the PSA 10 slab, though, it has gone up from $6,000 to $7,127, which results in an 18% jump in value over the given period. These are just two examples of James' rookie cards doing well in the market, a sign that should bode well for his other prominent offerings, such as his Logoman and short-printed parallels.
The verdict on LeBron James cards
At this point in time, it doesn't make sense to splurge on James' stock in the market, specifically his rookie and short-printed offerings. Most of these bad boys are trending up and collectors will only lose their money after a few months when their value plunges down.
Having said that, buying those LeBron James cards after the 2022-23 season ends is a wiser move to make. The Lakers, even with all the pieces they've added around the King, still aren't the favorites to win the title this year, especially after the Phoenix Suns acquired Kevin Durant. It's only practical to go wild on those cards during the offseason when the NBA card market is generally down. In any case, it's best to keep an eye out for James' stock as the current season starts to wind down.
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