Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: JOSHUA GATELEY / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP 16:13 p.m. on November 22, 2023

Proof of the effervescence generated by the French basketball phenomenon, Victor Wembanyama, the jersey worn by the 19-year-old pivot during his NBA debut on October 25 was sold at auction for the sum of 762,000 dollars while Sotheby's was counting on a value of slightly more than 100,000 dollars.

A month after his debut in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama continues his apprenticeship in the very competitive North American league. The phenomenon of French basketball oscillates between remarkable performances and a few air gaps and has yet to find his place in the shaky collective of the San Antonio Spurs, second-to-last in the Western Conference. But the excitement surrounding his arrival in the NBA is clearly not going away.

His jersey worn in his very first game in the league against the Dallas Mavericks fetched nearly $762,000, far exceeding Sotheby's estimates of $110,000. Never before in the history of the NBA has a rookie seen a jersey snapped up for such a high amount. And this despite the Frenchman's up-and-down performance in this match, almost silent for three quarters before a wake-up call in the last 12 minutes that was not enough to avoid the defeat of his team (119-126).

Two hours left to bid in the first official @NBA game-worn auction at Sotheby's! Don't miss your chance to bid: https://t.co/UtC8z1ddFUpic.twitter.com/rqc6JTeyWi

— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) November 21, 2023

'Wemby' does better than LeBron James or Curry

With this pharaonic sum, Victor Wembanyama is even better than LeBron James, Stephen Curry or Luka Doncic, three other superstars of the league, whose jerseys were also sold at auction. A few weeks ago, one of the tunics worn by the player in the Summer League, a friendly competition played in the summer and intended to prepare for the upcoming season, sold for nearly 60,000 dollars.

>>

ALSO READ – The Most Important Sneakers Of Michael Jordan's Career Auctioned At A Record Price

For "Wemby", however, there is still a long way to go before approaching the amount of the Chicago Bulls jersey, worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals. At $10 million, it is the most expensive sporting item ever sold in history. However, a lot could soon threaten this record. That of the shirts worn by Lionel Messi during the last World Cup in Qatar, won by Argentina at the expense of Les Bleus. Buyers will be able to position themselves starting in December.