The “Rookie Jersey Review” patches were inserted in 1:48 packs. The “memorabilia” note in this set’s checklist refers to a piece of jersey from the 2003 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot – of which there only exist 2 PSA 10, and PSA 9’s show a pop 5.. so I’m thrilled with a Beckett 9.5 grade!

The NBA Rookie Photo Shoot (September 10, 2003) was held in New York City. This 2003 session produced portraits of LeBron in his official Cavaliers home and away uniforms. He was often seen posing with fellow rookies like Carmelo Anthony during these sessions.

Released in October 2003, this 32-card box set featured an array of photographs of LeBron James ranging from on-court to studio posed. Each card has the Upper Deck logo in the top right corner and a LeBron James Box Set logo with a caption along the bottom in gold foil. Two oversized cards were inserted on top of the three rows of base set cards.

LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the season, and was named Rookie of the Year; becoming the first Cavalier and youngest NBA player to ever receive the award.

Released by Upper Deck in January 2004, this 20-card set was packaged with all cards, 1-20, and one bonus gold card. The gold cards parallel the design of the base set enhanced with a gold color shift on the border. The set was issued with a $9.99 SRP. The high-flying box set will include 20 regular cards, documenting the young phenom in his first NBA games.

The 2003-04 NBA season was the 34th season of the NBA in Cleveland, Ohio. In the years following their 1998 first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Cavaliers dropped to the bottom of the league and became a perennial entrant to the annual NBA draft lottery. The franchise’s freefall bottomed out during the 2002 season, as the Cavs fell to a 17-65 record, tied with the Denver Nuggets for the league’s worst.. However, the fortunes of the franchise shifted dramatically in May 2003, when the Cavs won the first overall pick in the draft. They selected high school phenom LeBron James from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron, providing the team with a centerpiece player around which to build.