Aug 9, 2026
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Add us on GoogleHow much would you pay for a celebrity or athlete’s trash?
Before you think who in their right mind would, consider that it was just last month that fans paid up to $100 for art made from trash found at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding in New York City.
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According to a YouTube Short posted by Got Sole — a nationwide sneaker and collectibles convention — a collector turned down $100,000 for a piece of paper that NBA superstar Lebron James threw away in high school back in 1999. The sheet of paper has multiple signatures on it from when James practiced how he would sign autographs.
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“The story, as it was told to us, was LeBron was trying out his autographs in high school, threw the piece of paper away, and a teacher retrieved it out of the trash can, she adhered it and hung it up on her wall,” the current owner said.
The unnamed collector got his hands on the historic piece of sports memorabilia after buying it a while back from a high-end collector, he said.
What Lebron thinks of the piece
The current owner was able to show James the framed sheet of paper, he told Got Sole. In the same YouTube short, the video post cuts to James confirming the authenticity of the collectible saying that he remembers those early signatures from years ago.
“How’s it compare to the new one?” the owner asked.
“Oh no, this is terrible compared to the new one,” James responded laughing.
According to the collector, James did use at least a couple of the signatures featured on the framed sheet of paper. One in high school and another during his rookie year in the NBA as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I love this one where it says King James cuz you never see that anywhere else,” the collector said.
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What’s the piece worth now?
The unnamed collector does not have a clue what his item is worth, but he says it is not for sale anyhow.
“I don’t even want to put a number on it; I have no idea,” he said. “It’s not really for sale, so that’s the great thing about it.”
While video commenters speculated as to how much the relic could cost now, it’s likely to go up in price after James retires and as the years pass.
In truth, any piece of memorabilia once belonging to James will fetch a pretty penny. On the court, he is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. His accolades include four NBA championships, four most valuable player (MVP) awards and 22 all-star game appearances.
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Danni Santana is a journalist based out of New York City with a decade of experience reporting and editing business stories about retail, restaurants, sports, and personal finance.
