Cavs’ game-worn jerseys have sold well on the auction market

Following Cleveland’s game against the Washington Wizards on Feb. 11, James Harden’s first home Cavs jersey sold for $10,525 in what marked the most expensive game-worn Harden jersey ever sold. Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell sparked strong offers for his game-worn classic edition jersey against the Lakers on Jan. 28 ($7,500), for his game-worn city edition jersey against the Orlando Magic on March 24 ($6,050) and for his game-worn association jersey against Philadelphia on March 9 ($3,250). Harden also attracted interest for his game-worn association edition jersey against Philadelphia, ($4,006) and for his game-worn city edition jersey against Orlando ($3,250).

Fan intrigue didn’t just center on the Cavaliers’ two star guards. Jarrett Allen’s game-worn classic edition jersey against the Lakers on Jan. 28? That sold for $3,000. Jaylon Tyson’s game-worn classic edition jersey in the same game? That sold for $2,830. How about Evan Mobley’s game-worn statement edition jersey against the Detroit Pistons on March 3? That sold for $2,400.

No wonder Keeney said the early returns “exceeded our expectations.” Chris Kaiser, the Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, agreed. Shortly after the first official auction, Kaiser texted Keeney to express astonishment over the strong buzz.

“We were kind of losing our minds,” Kaiser told Forbes. “We weren’t sure where the demand was going to be. But I think this world, specifically in sports memorabilia, continues to grow. People can find an environment where they know it’s credible, it’s authenticated and it’s real. I’m sure that leads to some of these values continuing to go up. There’s a trust in that market.”

Granted, the NBA and some of its teams have forged other partnerships to facilitate purchases with game-worn memorabilia.

Since the 2023-24 season, Sotheby has worked with the league in hosting live NBA auctions (New York, Paris) and activations (Abu Dhabi). Sotheby’s sold Cooper Flagg’s debut jersey in February for a record-setting $1 million, which the league said eclipsed Victor Wembanyama’s previous record when his jersey sold for $762,000 in 2023. In March, Sotheby auctioned off various Scottie Pippen’s autographed memorabilia from the 1992 Olympics and from parts of his six NBA Finals appearances. The league said it drove over $6 million in revenue and attracted collectors from 32 different countries. The Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards also have collectible programs and official partnerships.

As for the Cavaliers, their partnership with The Realest involves both organizations striving to achieve two goals.

The first?

“To make sure that a Cavs fan can own any piece of history,” Kaiser said.

The second?

“People can find an environment where they know it’s credible, it’s authenticated and it’s real,” Keeney said.

More details about the Cavs/The Realest partnership

To ensure authenticity, The Realest oversees every collectible item to have patent-pending covert markings and tamper resistant holograms. They record every sale on a blockchain. And they manage a secure secondary marketplace, which allows owners to accept, decline or counter any offer.

That setup can assuage concerns that team officials, players and fans have over selling and purchasing counterfeit collectibles. That setup can also alleviate any player misgivings about losing any collectibles that they want to have.

“If someone hits a milestone and the player wants to keep it, they’ll get to keep that item,” Kaiser said. “That flexibility is not something that is necessarily guaranteed on a night-to-night basis. But our players understand what is happening with the program as well. They are super supportive of this stuff ending up in fans’ hands.”

Fans have gotten more than just game-worn jerseys or even James’ grip powder.

The Cavaliers and the Realest also auctioned off 12 game-used warmups shirts and a game-used ball from their game against the Boston Celtics on March 8 for $2,543. This event took place in during the Cavs’ fourth annual “Bow Tie Game” in honor of the late Nick Gilbert, the son of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert that died in May 2023 from NF1-related complications. The Cavs will donate those auction proceeds to NFX, the nonprofit organization Dan and Jennifer Gilbert founded to fund medical research related to treat NF1.

The Cavs and the Realest also auctioned off a Lakers bench seat from their game on Jan. 28 for $1,905. A game-used rim and net from that same game sold for $2,305. Another fan paid $1,505 for Max Strus’ city edition game-worn warmup pullover ahead of the Cavs’ game against the Orlando Magic on March 24.

And yet…

“We don’t want to sell only $10,000 items,” Keeney said. “That’s not accessible for the kid that’s growing up. We need to onboard a new generation and demographic of collectors.”

Hence, the Cavaliers and the Realest also oversaw more modest purchases. That included an Allen pin ($57), a Mobley bobblehead ($50) and a Harden mockup beard ($30).

“It is important to hook them when they’re young,” Keeney said. “Then they are Cavs fans for life. Then that person is going to be the next person that sets that next record with buying the jersey when they’re older and more well off.”

By then, perhaps they can purchase another LeBron James memento as iconic as his grip powder.