For the first time, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant – three of the greatest basketball players of the 21st century – took to the court as teammates at the Paris Olympics. Seeing the three legends together was a rare experience for fans that they will likely never forget, similar to when Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played together as part of the Dream Team in Barcelona in 1992.
Now, fans can get their hands on a piece of memorabilia to keep those memories alive. To commemorate their time in Paris, James, Curry and Durant will sign a rare Topps trading card featuring the gold medal-winning trio in their Team USA uniforms. The signed card will be sent to “a randomly selected customer” who purchases the trio’s base card from Topps for the retail price of $11.99.
“This card is a tribute to the incredible moment we witnessed during the Olympics when three of the greatest active basketball players took home the gold medal together,” Clay Luraschi, senior VP at Topps, told ESPN. “This particular card is special because there is a regular version and a signed version. There have been many different autograph cards in the history of basketball trading cards, but this is the first time these three players have signed the same card. That makes it very unique.”
The signed card could easily be worth six figures at auction, estimates Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions. In recent years, cards featuring stars such as Jordan and Kobe Bryant have sold for more than seven figures at auction. Last December, a Topps Bryant rookie card sold for $2 million, less than two years after another card fetched $1.75 million.
During the games in Paris, James, Curry and Durant spoke at length about the honor they felt representing their country as teammates. They even embraced the call of being the modern-day version of Jordan, Johnson and Bird, recreating an iconic photo of the Dream Team trio during their time in Paris.
The chemistry between the three was crucial in helping the U.S. team overcome challenges from Serbia and France in the semifinals and gold medal game, and now one lucky fan can cherish the memory of the experience.
