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Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
As rare as it was for LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant to team up for a handful of games this summer, now there is a collectable commemorating their time together at the Paris Olympics that’s even rarer.
James, Curry and Durant will all autograph a 1-of-1 Topps trading card featuring the gold-medal-winning trio in their red, white and blue Team USA uniforms that will be sent to a customer at random who purchases the stars’ base card from the company.
“This card pays tribute to the incredible moment that we saw during the Olympics where three of the greatest active basketball players combined to take home the gold medal,” Clay Luraschi, senior vice president of product at Topps, told ESPN. “This particular card is special because you have your regular version and then you have an autograph version. There’s been many different autograph cards throughout basketball trading card history, but this is the first time these three players have signed the same card. So, it makes it very unique.”
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Someone who buys a Topps Now base card from today’s Team USA Gold Medal game will receive this 1/1 Steph, LeBron, KD triple auto.
This card is the first ever:
– LeBron Topps auto
– LeBron & Curry auto on the same card
– Steph/KD/LeBron tripleAnd to top it… pic.twitter.com/zzoS6rJhK6
— Topps (@Topps) August 10, 2024
The base card was made available at 6:20 p.m. ET on Saturday — shortly after the U.S. men’s basketball team’s gold medal ceremony following its 98-87 win over France — and the purchasing window will close Tuesday at 6:20 p.m. ET, at which point Topps will pair a redemption card for the triple-auto at random for a lucky customer.
The redemption card will be sent to the winner within 10 days of the close of the sale, according to a Topps spokesperson.
The base card featuring James, Curry and Durant retails for $11.99.
In recent years, cards featuring James’ autograph accompanied by the signatures of Hall of Famers such as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant have sold at auction for tens of thousands of dollars.
“I think the card is easily six figures,” Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions, told ESPN when asked for an estimation of the card’s worth. “However, the fact it is not a [pack] pulled card caps its value.”
The card is part of the Topps Now program that releases cards directly to consumers as moments in sports history unfold, rather than through a traditional card set that typically commemorates a particular season for a sports league.
“The Topps Now program kind of has revolutionized the way we do trading cards, and a lot of it had to do with technology and digital printing,” Luraschi told ESPN. “So, you’re able to do these products on demand, and you’re able to deliver them to the consumer much faster. So, it makes the moments super relevant.”
Topps Now was initiated by the company in 2016.
The program also released several other cards during Team USA’s run through the Paris Games, including one depicting Curry’s 36-point outburst in the semifinals against Serbia; one honoring Durant becoming the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Olympic basketball history; and one of James and tennis star Coco Gauff serving as America’s flag-bearers during the opening ceremony.
