Welcome to the Sports Memorabilia Insider – FREE VERSION. Today we have a deep dive into a pair of game-worn basketball jerseys that are IPOing today, Monday, May 17th, 2021:
1. Kevin Durant Nets Debut game-worn jersey – at Otis, 12 PM EST (VIP Members have pre-sale access now)
2. Julius Erving 1985 Signed game-worn jersey – at Rally Road, 12 PM EST
Follow me on Twitter for my latest insights and analysis.
Table of Contents
Kevin Durant Nets Debut Jersey
About the Asset
This is the jersey that Kevin Durant wore in his first game for the Brooklyn Nets (ironically, against his former team, the Golden State Warriors) on December 22nd, 2020 and was purchased by Otis from NBA Auctions in February for $45,200.
It IPOs on Otis at 12 PM EST on May 17th for $47,600.
Add IPO to calendar
About the Athlete
Since his debut, Kevin Durant has arguably been the 2nd best player in the NBA (behind LeBron), winning four scoring titles, making 11 All-Star Games in 12 years (missing out only due to a season-long injury) and winning two championships (and 2 Finals MVPs) in his three seasons with the Warriors. He’s been an All-NBA performer 9 times and won the League MVP in 2013-14. Despite his acclaims and prodigious talents, Durant has become a divisive and fairly unpopular figure amongst NBA fans, first for leaving his longtime team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to join an already stacked Warriors team, and then creating a new superteam with equally controversial players James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the Nets. He’s been involved in countless social media spats and recently was fined by the NBA for using homophobic slurs on Twitter.
Inferred Value – $30K+
[Detailed Valuation available to Insiders Only]
Category Strength
The sports memorabilia category had a -8% ROI in Q1 2021.
Subcategory Strength
Growth Outlook and Future Catalysts
Essentially, investing in this jersey is a bet on the Nets winning a title with Durant, the sooner the better. If Durant’s Nets career is a success, having the game-worn jersey for his debut carries a lot of cachet. If they never win a title and he jumps ships in two or three years, no one is going to care about his debut jersey. FWIW, the Nets are the betting line favorite to win the title at about 2.5:1 odds.
Verdict
[Full Evaluation for Insiders Only] The value of this jersey is tied up in the novelty of it being his debut with a new team and on its own, I’m not sure it will be worth 2-4x over other jerseys in the long-run unless they win it.
1985 Erving Game Worn Jersey
About the Asset
This is a Julius Erving signed and game-worn jersey from the 1984-1985 season, specifically from eight home games in February 1985. It is ungraded. Rally purchased it for $37,200 in February from Heritage.
It IPOs on Rally Road at 12 PM EST on May 17th for $45,000.
Add IPO to calendar
About the Athlete
We wrote about Dr. J in detail here.
Inferred Value – $25K – $50K
[Detailed Valuation available to Insiders Only]
Category Strength
The sports memorabilia category had a -8% ROI in Q1 2021.
Subcategory Strength
Verdict
[Full Evaluation for Insiders Only] If you are interested in the asset, you may want to consider waiting until it starts trading. Many memorabilia items have dropped during their first trading window.
