PHOTO: Real Madrid star shows off LeBron, Steph Curry & 13 more signed jerseys from NBA collection
Brazilian soccer star Vinicius Junior (Vini Jr.) showcased his collection of signed jerseys, featuring autographs from NBA superstars including LeBron James and Steph Curry, in an Instagram post he shared on Monday.
During last season, Vini Jr. visited several NBA arenas to watch games and collected signed jerseys from the stars. His efforts were rewarded, as he seemingly acquired 15 signed jerseys.
His collection includes signed jerseys from Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Harrison Barnes, LaMelo Ball, Pascal Siakam, DeMar DeRozan, Clint Capela, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Josh Richardson and fellow Brazilian Leandro Barbosa.
See the photo below:
Vini Jr. has various NBA connections, but his most notable one is with OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The two have spoken about their friendship several times, with the MVP runner-up once describing Vini Jr. as one of the soccer players he connected with.
A star for Real Madrid, Vini Jr. scored 69 goals for the club in three seasons between 2021-22 to 2023-24. He secured a contract extension with the team until 2027 in October 2023.
According to ESPN, Saudi Arabia attempted to lure him away to the Saudi Pro League in August. Vini Jr. was reportedly offered an annual salary of up to $382.5 million by the Saudis. However, the deal could be very costly, as his release clause with Real Madrid is set at €1,000,000,000, according to Capology.
Rare LeBron, Steph Curry item garners $1M interest from Giannis Antetokounmpo
In the NBA, items like jerseys, sneakers and other accessories are fan favorites. A new collectible item has gained popularity over the years, which is NBA cards.
Sports card company Topps recently announced a one-of-one triple-autographed Team USA card featuring LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant following their gold-medal victory in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The card is the first in history to have the autographs of both James and Curry.
According to Break Comp Cards, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is willing to offer as much as $1 million for the card.
The Greek Freak has money to spend, having earned $236,092,616 in his NBA career, as per Spotrac. He is set to earn a similar amount over the next four years after signing a three-year, $186-million contract extension with the Bucks last October.
Interest in NBA cards has been rising recently. Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams recently went viral after pulling a rare Luka Doncic card from a $10,500 Panini National Treasures NBA Basketball Hobby Box.
He has reportedly received offers for the card reaching up to $300,000.