Breaking the rookie jersey record! Flag's debut jersey sells for $1 million, marking an extraordinary career start

On February 20th Beijing time, ESPN reported that Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg’s jersey from the first half of his NBA debut was auctioned by Sotheby’s for $1 million. This amount established a record for Flagg’s collectibles and also broke the NBA official auction platform’s highest sale price for a debut jersey, overtaking the previous record set by Wembanyama.

In the regular season opener on October 23rd, where the Mavericks lost 92-125 to the San Antonio Spurs, Flagg recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds. This season, he has become the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points in a single game and holds the record for most points scored in a game by a teenager (49 points).

Bram Wahte, head of Sotheby’s Modern Collectibles department, stated in a release: “The $1 million sale of Cooper Flagg’s rookie debut jersey strongly highlights collectors’ appreciation for genuine ‘first moments’ in sports history. This jersey symbolizes the start of an extraordinary career, carrying immense anticipation and excitement.”

Previously, the NBA official auction record for a debut jersey was held by Victor Wembanyama’s second-half jersey from his NBA debut, which sold for $762,000 in November 2023.

Other rookie debut jerseys auctioned by Sotheby’s NBA collection included those of VJ Echikum, Kon Knuppel, Dylan Harper, Derrick Quinn, and several other rookies.

So far this season, Flagg is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.2%.