One lucky fan found himself over $8K richer this month after selling a traffic ticket at auction. You see, this was no ordinary citation; it was written by a cop to LeBron James on his 18th birthday, and now it’s being immortalized as a part of basketball history after being sold to a collector.
“Presenting a LeBron James Signed Police Ticket,” wrote GoldinCo. “This traffic ticket was issued to an 18-year-old LeBron in 2003 while driving his Hummer H2, his 18th birthday present. The ticket was for not having a rear license plate and features an early-era King James Auto.”
As one of the most successful athletes on the planet, LeBron James’ memorabilia and collectibles are known to sell for pretty outrageous prices. One of his rookie cards sold for $1.8 million and some of his old game-worn jerseys have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. When it comes to LeBron, his fans will spare no expense to bask in his greatness, even if it means paying exorbitant amounts of money. In the case of the traffic ticket, while its value is much lower overall, it’s still unquestionably expensive for a seemingly unimportant citation.
The item had been on the market for some time (since at least 2024), which is surprising given that it features a rare “early era” LeBron autograph. James, who was still a teenager at the time, had just recently received his Hummer H2 as a gift from his mother, Gloria. At the time, it was reported that she had even taken a loan to get the car, trusting that her son would return it in full after launching his NBA career.
Gloria didn’t expect her son to get a ticket on his first drive out, but the penalties were not severe. Since the offense was relatively minor (violating traffic laws related to license plate display), LeBron was let off pretty easily, but it wouldn’t be the last time he was caught breaking the rules of the road.
In 2007, at age 23, he got another traffic ticket. This time, it was for speeding (101 MPH in a 65), and he was given a $259 fine after pleading no contest. Fortunately, James has seemingly learned his lesson, as he has yet to get into any trouble with the law ever since.
Besides these two traffic tickets, LeBron has a squeaky-clean record, and it’s impressive that he’s managed to stay out of any major trouble or controversies. So far, the worst reflection of his character has been two minor traffic violations, and it just goes to show how much discipline and respect LeBron has maintained throughout his entire career.
Today, those traffic tickets are one of the last remnants of a long-gone era, and one lucky collector gets to keep the piece of history for himself. LeBron James may be one of the only athletes in the world with this level of popularity, and it makes you wonder what other relics from his storied past might resurface at an auction.
