{"product_id":"2002-lebron-james-signed-1st-sports-illustrated-newsstand-magazine-psa-8-auto-9","title":"2002 LeBron James Signed 1st Sports Illustrated Newsstand Magazine. PSA 8 Auto 9","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"gmail_default\" style=\"\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gmail_default\" style=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"32\" data-end=\"482\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"pdq2pgselectionanchorcontainer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Chosen One!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eAn extraordinary piece from the very beginning of\none of the greatest careers in sports history, offered here is LeBron James’\niconic first Sports Illustrated cover, signed by James as a teenager during his\nhigh school years! Dated February 18, 2002, the desirable newsstand edition\nfamously introduced the 17-year-old phenom to the world as “The Chosen One.”\nLeBron beautifully scripted his early-style signature in bold blue ink across the\nlower right of the cover, creating outstanding contrast and tremendous eye\nappeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"549\" data-end=\"1199\"\u003eDuring his 2002 junior season at St.\nVincent-St. Mary, LeBron averaged an astounding 28 points, 9 rebounds and 6\nassists per game. Already the unquestioned #1 high school player in the\ncountry, he became the first junior ever named Gatorade National Player of the\nYear, while also earning USA Today and Parade National Player of the Year\nhonors. His games attracted national television audiences and were moved into\nlarger arenas to accommodate the crowds coming to see “The Kid from Akron.”\nThen, in February 2002, Sports Illustrated put the high school junior on its\ncover and gave him the nickname that would follow him forever — “The Chosen\nOne.”\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"1201\" data-end=\"1772\"\u003eEarly, high school versions of LeBron’s\nautograph like this are extremely rare — and its presence on the very magazine\nthat announced his arrival makes this piece particularly special. Rather than a\nmodern signature added years after the cover became iconic, this magazine was\nsigned during LeBron’s teenage years, when the almost unimaginable expectations\nsurrounding him were still just that — expectations. He was already being\ncompared to Jordan, Magic, Bird and Kobe, yet no one could have known that the\n17-year-old pictured here would actually live up to the hype.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"1774\" data-end=\"2557\"\u003ePublication collecting has emerged as one of\nthe hobby’s fastest-growing genres, with particular attention being paid to\ndebut and “rookie” magazine appearances of legendary athletes. Much like\nvintage rookie cards decades ago, few collectors thought to preserve these\npublications — let alone have them signed by the young stars appearing on their\ncovers. As a result, period-signed copies can be significantly scarcer than the\ntraditional signed photographs and basketballs commonly encountered in the\nhobby. With collectors increasingly seeking graded, low-population examples of\nimportant debut publications, a high-grade, period-signed copy of arguably the\nmost famous modern Sports Illustrated cover represents a compelling intersection\nof autograph and publication collecting.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"2559\" data-end=\"2989\"\u003eMore than two decades later, LeBron has\namassed 4x NBA Championships, 4x MVP Awards, 4x Finals MVP Awards and became\nthe NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer — just to name a few of his accomplishments\nand records. The February 18, 2002 Sports Illustrated has consequently become\none of the defining images of his legendary career: a snapshot of “The Chosen\nOne” before he played a single NBA game. Safe to say, he exceeded expectations.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"2991\" data-end=\"3404\"\u003eFurther demonstrating the rapidly emerging\nmarket for elite signed publications, a comparable copy of this same February\n18, 2002 newsstand issue recently sold at public auction for over $36,000.\nWhile that example carried a slightly higher magazine grade, ours boasts a far\nsuperior autograph, graded PSA\/DNA Mint 9 — highlighted by an exceptionally\nbold, beautifully placed signature with tremendous eye appeal.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"3406\" data-end=\"3457\"\u003eAuthenticated, Graded, and Encapsulated by\nPSA\/DNA.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"3459\" data-end=\"3546\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eShips\nFedEx\/UPS\/USPS with Insurance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Sports Illustrated","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52677025399086,"sku":null,"price":34950.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0829\/5061\/9438\/files\/57_7a55e70e-e16c-4f74-934d-213542d62cf9.jpg?v=1789665113","url":"https:\/\/bcvintage.com\/products\/2002-lebron-james-signed-1st-sports-illustrated-newsstand-magazine-psa-8-auto-9","provider":"BC Vintage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}