LeBron James has established himself as the greatest of all time -- at least in the world of trading cards, that is.

One of James’ rookie basketball cards sold for $5.2 million earlier this month, matching the mark for the most expensive card ever sold. It now shares the record with a 1952 Mickey Mantle card that was purchased for the exact same price in January.

The card is a 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection RPA (rookie patch autograph) parallel LeBron James card and was sold privately for $5.2 million with PWCC Marketplace, ESPN reports. With a Beckett Grading Services rating of 9 and a perfect 10 signature, the James card set a new record for basketball cards by more than half a million dollars.

Another version of that same James card with a 9.5 grade set a then-record in July 2020 when it was sold for $1.85 million. That mark was broken multiple times over the past nine months, leading to the $5.2 million sale. In March, a one-of-one 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Luka Doncic Logoman RPA was sold for $4.6 million.

“Exquisite was a revolutionary product when it came out in 2003,” Jesse Craig, PWCC’s director of business development, said via ESPN. “It was the most expensive retail product that had ever been released, at $500 a box, and they were only made from 2003 to 2009; the rarity of those assets carries a lot of weight for collectors and investors today.”

James entered the NBA as maybe the most-hyped prospect of all time nearly 18 years ago, and he has lived up to expectations. Seeking his fifth championship this season, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star is putting together a case to surpass Michael Jordan as the best player in league history.

lebron james
LeBron James is pictured in a promotional still for CBS’ “Million Dollar Mile.” CBS
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