Partaking in a jersey swap with the NBA’s next generational talent, Victor Wembanyama, is certainly a memorable experience. However, the jersey wasn’t as priceless to one young fan as it may have seemed after Wemby gifted his full-size, game-worn jersey in exchange for the toddler edition. Less than one month after the swap occurred, the jersey has already been found up for auction on Goldin.
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Wembanyama seemed especially disappointed to see his gift for sale, as the 21-year-old took to X to share his take on the situation. The Spurs superstar quoted the post with a single crying emoji, signifying that he didn’t expect the young fan to part with his jersey so soon.
— Wemby (@wemby) January 15, 2025
This wasn’t just a simple gift from Wemby either; it was an iconic interaction with a young fan whose experience seems to have been spoiled by his parents’ greed. The 2024 Rookie of the Year originally spotted the boy in his miniature jersey, prompting the towering center to sprint over to him and propose a trade. The two posed together, holding each other’s jerseys, creating one of the more memorable off-court moments of the season thus far.
Unfortunately, it isn’t necessarily rare to see gifts from athletes listed on an auction site, especially a piece as valuable as a game-worn Wemby jersey. However, that didn’t stop others from criticizing the decision to sell the jersey, as the uniform could have been a gesture that the young fan remembered for a lifetime.
Fans openly criticized Wemby’s jersey auction
While the blame can’t be placed on the young fan who received the jersey, it can be placed on his parents, who willingly put the uniform up for sale. Fans didn’t take kindly to the adults who spoiled the sweet gesture and took their criticisms to X.
“No way! That memory is priceless. Kid definitely didn’t want to sell it. Someone should tell his Dad please no,” one fan responded to the post.
“You gotta realize that it wasn’t the kid’s choice to sell this, right? An incredible memory and legendary piece of memorabilia taken away from him, years before he’ll understand what happened,” another replied, defending the young fan.
“The dad of that son should be ashamed honestly,” a third said, lambasting the decision of the fan’s guardian to part ways with the jersey.
Ultimately, it’s in the hands of the one who receives the gift to decide its fate. However, that doesn’t mean sports fans will take kindly to greedily auctioning off a legendary piece of basketball memorabilia.
