LeBron James is the game’s all-time leading scorer, has more All-Star Game appearances than anyone else. And when he began this season, his 23rd in the league, he moved out of a tie with Vince Carter for the longest NBA career and took sole possession of that record, too. To commemorate the occasion, LeBron began wearing a special patch on his jersey on Monday night, something he’ll do for the rest of the year.
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The patch itself is thoughtfully done — there’s a silhouette of James doing his famous pregame chalk toss on top of “23 NBA Seasons” and three colored stripes that represent his time with the Cavs, Heat and Lakers.
Reggie Miller made his regular appearance on The Dan Patrick Show two days ago, and both he and Patrick wanted to know what the point of the patch was.
“I have no idea,” Miller said. “That’s odd. I mean, maybe it’s a pat on the back, or maybe they’re signifying, ‘This is it, King.'” That launched the two into a discussion of whether or not this really will be LeBron’s final season before retiring, but Miller was skeptical that this was the case.
Patrick joked that instead of the patch being on the front right shoulder of LeBron’s jersey, it should have been on the back, as in, “a patch on the back.” Get it?
The real reason for the patch, besides just being a cool way to celebrate one of the greatest players of all-time, is simple. Each one will be removed after the game, and some will be placed into special trading cards by Topps.
BREAKING: LeBron James will wear a special-edition 23rd season jersey patch beginning tonight in Sacramento; the city where he began his legendary career in 2003.
The patches will be removed from his jersey after each game, and some will be placed into ultra-rare trading cards. pic.twitter.com/zzOEJyiFUK
— Topps (@Topps) January 12, 2026
The concept of a ‘relic’ card isn’t new. That’s when a piece of game-used memorabilia, such as a swatch of jersey, a patch, or a piece of a baseball bat, is embedded into a card. These cards are highly sought-after and ultra-collectible, and are usually autographed by the player.
Some of the most expensive basketball cards out there are called ‘Logoman’ cards, because they are unique, 1/1 cards that feature the piece of a player’s jersey with the famous Jerry West silhouette on them. Topps has done something similar for their basketball and baseball cards, with ‘Rookie Debut’ patches being worn by players in their first game, which are then removed and put into 1/1 cards.
Paul Skenes, this past season’s National League Cy Young Award winner, saw his Rookie Debut patch card pulled by a kid from California in December 2024. It then sold at auction for just over $1.1 million.
It remains to be seen what these LeBron cards will go for, but it’s obvious that they’ll generate significant interest from the collector community.
As for LeBron, he’s still making a big impact when he’s on the court. He’s been on a tear since New Year’s, averaging just under 28 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game. Against the Hawks Tuesday night, he dropped 31 points and was just one rebound shy of a triple-double. So, maybe the NBA should get those ’24 NBA Seasons’ patches ready.
