LeBron James Signs Collectibles Deal With Fast-Growing Fanatics ...
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Kim Bhasin, Bloomberg News
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks during a Jan. 9 home game against the Toronto Raptors. , Photographer: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
(Bloomberg) -- LeBron James has signed an exclusive multiyear deal with the collectibles division of Fanatics Inc.
The Los Angeles Lakers star, whose previous deal with rival trading-card maker Upper Deck had ended, is a valuable addition to the rapidly expanding Fanatics Collectibles business. The division is set to take over licenses for major professional sports including basketball and football.
Fanatics secured an agreement with the National Basketball Association and its players’ union to replace closely held Panini as the maker of the league’s cards once the existing arrangement expires in 2026.
Rare sports collectibles featuring James, 39, have proven particularly desirable. A signed James rookie card sold for $5.2 million in a 2021 private sale, and a one-of-one “Triple Logoman” card sold at auction for $2.4 million in 2022.
The partnership will begin with a James card in a basketball set from Fanatics’ Bowman University brand that’s due to hit stores Jan. 19. He’ll appear in his high-school uniform on a dual autograph card alongside his elder son, Bronny James, a 19-year-old freshman guard at the University of Southern California.
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