Key Takeaways
- Fanatics Collectibles have signed a multi-year exclusive partnership deal with LeBron James.
- LeBron had previously been with rival Upper Deck for more than 20 years.
- He’ll feature on a dual autograph 1/1 card, released Jan 19.
Sports merchandise and collectibles platform Fanatics, who own the Topps brand, have announced a new exclusive multi-year trading card deal with LA Lakers star LeBron James.
LeBron previously had an exclusive agreement with Fanatics rival Upper Deck, which lasted for more than 20 years – The new Fanatics deal signals the end of that partnership.
With Fanatics set to take over the NBA trading card license in the near future, basketball card collectors can expect official NBA LeBron cards to be released in various Topps sports card products, including autographed cards; James hasn’t signed any official trading cards over the past few years, so it’s welcome news to the hobby.
As part of the announcement, Topps also released an Origin of Greatness video on X, voiced by James.
The Origin of Greatness begins with Bowman 👑 pic.twitter.com/GbtC1PLTth
— Topps (@Topps) January 10, 2024
LeBron James himself said: “As someone who appreciates all the moments – big and small – along the journey, I’m excited to share more with my fans through this partnership with Fanatics.”
The Fanatics Collectibles CEO, Mike Mahan, added: “We are both thrilled and honored to have LeBron join the Fanatics family. Our goal is to push the envelope of where the hobby can go and are excited about how our collaboration with one of the best athletes in the world will continue to ignite fan and collector passion.”
Fanatics have also announced the first card to feature LeBron will come in the 2023-24 Bowman University Chrome Basketball product, which is released Jan 19; He’ll feature on a 1-of-1 dual autograph card alongside his son, Bronny James.
