LeBron's Chrome Rookie Got Cheaper Right Before His Sixers Debut

The first PSA 9 of LeBron James's 2003 Topps Chrome rookie to sell since his 106-100 win over the Knicks went for $4,200 in an eBay auction on Wednesday. He had 14 points and nine rebounds on Tuesday as New York raised its 2026 championship banner at Madison Square Garden.

The four copies at Fanatics Collect two days before the game were the cheapest PSA 9s to sell at auction since at least August. The low one closed at $3,480.

For collectors who bought last fall, when a PSA 9 went for around $1,800, this card is still sitting pretty. But a collector who paid around $5,500 in July, the month James picked Philadelphia, is down more than $1,000 even at Wednesday's price.

In our basketball Top 10, I set my bid at $4,200 before the Garden game. Wednesday's buyer paid exactly that. With 5,018 PSA 9s graded as of Oct. 19, another copy is never far away.

I'd skip eBay and bid $3,800 in the next Fanatics Collect weekly auction. If PSA 9s keep selling for $4,200 or more through his first week of games, I'll have missed my window. Collectors get the next reason to chase his rookies on Nov. 5, when his first pack-sealed Sixers cards come out.