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Dan Hajducky
Multiple Authors
Jason Williams’ game-worn home white Sacramento Kings jersey from the lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season, which was his rookie year, has recently sold for a staggering $140,000. This marks the highest amount paid for any item associated with Williams.
The jersey was authenticated by MeiGray, a company specializing in authentication and photo-matching, with the help of a letter from Williams’ father. The verification process was completed in December 2023, and the jersey was matched to several games from the 1998-99 season, including Williams’ first preseason game and Game 3 of the Western Conference first round against the Utah Jazz.
“We have only been able to photo-match one white and one black game-worn Jason Williams rookie season jersey,” stated Barry Meisel, president and chief operating officer of MeiGray. “During this period, players typically had just one or two jerseys per season. A rookie jersey is as good as it gets in the game-worn collectibles space.”
MeiGray sold the jersey to an anonymous buyer represented by Curio Advisors, a firm that specializes in fine arts and collectibles. Their clientele includes entrepreneurs, private art collectors, financial funds, and even countries beginning to invest in sports memorabilia.
“There are individuals who are genuinely interested in the culture surrounding Jason Williams,” explained Curio Advisors founder and CEO Bradley Calleja. “He ranked in the top five for jersey sales during his rookie year. Everyone has seen his highlight reel, but among his game-worn jerseys, there are very few, and this is the only white one we have had.”
This is the same jersey that Williams wore for the cover photo of the August 1999 issue of Slam, a cover that David Schnur, president of Slam Media, described as one of the magazine’s most iconic.
“Penny [Hardaway] and Shaquille O’Neal made the Magic jersey iconic; [Michael] Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen did the same for the Bulls jersey; Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, and Alonzo Mourning made the Hornets jersey iconic in their own way,” said Schnur. “Jason Williams achieved that status for the Kings.”
Williams was taken aback when he heard the news about the sale.
“It’s wild to me, the prices people pay for merchandise, cards, and such… but it’s awesome that someone has that kind of cash to spend on my worn jersey,” Williams shared with ESPN. “I need to collect all my teammates’ numbers on that jersey, too. Without them, there’s no 55. I’m just grateful, man.”
He expressed a desire for the buyer to join him on his Barstool podcast, Hoopin’ N Hollerin’, alongside Patrick Beverley and Rone.
“I would never have imagined someone paying that much for my jersey,” he remarked. “I’d love to meet the person who bought it.”
