LeBron James Michael Jordan 2005-06 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Jerseys Inserts Dual Autographs 5/5 #DJA-JJ BGS 8.5/10 | Game-Used Jerseys | On-Card Autographs

An exceptional piece, this dual auto captures the debate over the NBA’s greatest player in one immaculate print. LeBron and Michael have been the source of talk show and Thanksgiving table arguments going on for at least the better part of the last decade, and will likely persist as long as the sport does. While the debate is poised to rage on, the opportunity to collect a piece of it is certainly limited.

On June 4, 2004, the world of sports cards changed forever. On this date, Upper Deck released the first year of Exquisite Collection Basketball. Released at what was then the jaw-dropping price of $500 for five cards, 20-years on this product line continues to be a byword for excellence in high-end trading cards.

The crossover between what would become perhaps the single most premier product in the hobby and the entry of one of its most transformational stars into the NBA was no coincidence. The creator of Exquisite Collection, Karvin Cheung, had been looking for the right player to serve as the centerpiece for a new high-end set that would feature highly-limited rookie patch autographs. Cheung has cited the moment he saw LeBron James on the cover of Sports Illustrated in February 2002, under the headline “Chosen One”, as the moment that he knew he had his player. What followed was history: in its time, Exquisite Collection Basketball has seen records tumble and captured worldwide fascination, becoming the cornerstone of many of the most important trading card collections and earning a place on the Mount Rushmore of trading card sets for many enthusiasts.

The 2004-05 product introduced dual logoman autographs and triple logoman cards in Exquisite. Collectors understood that many of the best cards available each season for their favorite NBA rookies, stars, and legends would be found in Exquisite. In the decades since, NBA fans have come to expect just as much excellence from the product as they would from its standard-bearer.

The card features two game-worn jersey pieces as well as an on-card autograph from the two greats. This piece commemorates LeBron’s third season in the league, when he took home his first All-NBA First Team honors and set a lasting career high averaging 31.4 points per game.

LeBron also made his NBA playoff debut in 2006, where his Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards in the first round before falling to the back-to-back defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons in seven games. James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in his maiden playoff voyage and at the time of cataloging, nearly two decades later, he holds career playoff records in a variety of areas including points, steals, games, minutes, and wins. With the 2005-06 season, LeBron left NBA fans with no doubt about his superstar status. Before the next season, NBA GMs picked James as the runaway favorite for MVP ahead of Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, and his rival for the title of best player in basketball, Kobe Bryant.

Meanwhile, after enjoying his last true retirement from playing professionally in 2003, Jordan would return to the NBA in the summer of 2006 as minority owner and the head of basketball operations for the then-Charlotte Bobcats. This would kick off his 17-year tenure with Charlotte and allow him to compete with James, albeit from courtside.

This card has been authenticated and deemed to be in Near Mint-Mint+ condition, receiving a grade of 8.5 from Beckett Grading Services (BGS). At the time of cataloging, there is only one print that has been graded higher by Beckett. The "5/5" stamp on the card signifies its place in the limited print run.

The BGS certificate number for this card is: 12706677

Going Deeper - LeBron James

The King

LeBron’s legacy began in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. As a high school phenom at St. Vincent-St. Mary, LeBron, and his teammates, dubbed the 'Fab Five', led the school to three state championships in four years. During his high school career, LeBron garnered national attention, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior in 2002 with the headline 'The Chosen One,' and achieving honors such as the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2002, and the McDonald’s All-American MVP in 2003.  

At 18 years old, LeBron James was selected first overall in the 2003 NBA draft, directly from high school, by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. Immediately making an impact upon entering the league, LeBron became the first player in franchise history and the youngest player in NBA history to win the Rookie of the Year award, doing so at 19. In his first seven seasons in the NBA, James led the Cavaliers to 50 or more wins on four separate occasions, including a franchise record 66-win season in 2008-09. He was twice named NBA MVP and led the Cavaliers to their first trip to the NBA Finals in 2007. Though LeBron and the Cavaliers would fail to bring a championship to Cleveland that year, this would not be his last attempt to bring his hometown team an NBA championship.

After a four-year stint in Miami, dramatically launched by “The Decision” and culminating in two titles and four straight runs to the Finals, LeBron returned to Northeast Ohio in 2014 and made a bold promise: he would make the Cavaliers a champion. This mission set up the NBA’s next great cross-conference rivalry between Lebron’s Cavs and Steph Curry’s “Splash Brothers” Golden State Warriors. In 2015, Cleveland and Golden State met for the first of what would be four straight NBA Finals matchups, a remarkable feat that even the famed Lakers-Celtics rivalry has never matched. It was a tightly contested series, however the Cavaliers would fall in six games to the ascendant Warriors. 

The following season, the Warriors looked downright unstoppable as they set the mark for the NBA’s best regular season record at 73 wins to just 9 losses and returned to the NBA Finals for a rematch with the Cavaliers. After four games, the series stood at 3-1 Warriors, a deficit that had so far proven insurmountable in NBA Finals history. What followed was the greatest comeback ever achieved in the NBA’s championship round. LeBron led an unprecedented comeback, and set up the game winning shot in Game 7 with likely his most lasting and poetic career highlight, a thunderous block against the backboard of the previous season’s Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. Fighting tears as he donned his NBA champions gear, LeBron exclaimed to the largest TV audience for an NBA game this century: “Cleveland, this is for you!”

Even with the new season just underway, LeBron has been busy breaking barriers in 2024. After 12 years, LeBron returned to the Olympics and led the United States to a gold medal in the summer games in Paris alongside longtime rivals Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. To kick off his 22nd NBA season, James became the first father to play alongside his son in league history. Stepping onto the court in his Laker uniform next to his eldest son Bronny, he has officially blazed an unmistakable trail not only for himself, but for his family.

Going Deeper - Michael Jordan

His Airness

On March 18, 1995 Jordan made headlines, doing so with possibly the most iconic press release in history. Two simple words: “I’m back.”

With his number already retired and his likeness captured on a statue in front of the United Center, MJ returned to the Bulls midway through the 1994-95 in the number he had used as a Chicago White Sox minor leaguer the summer before, 45. Immediately, and unsurprisingly, he changed the fortunes of the team and after going 13-4 following his return Chicago was back in the playoffs. While they fell in six games to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, the three-time champion made it clear that the NBA was going to once again be his for the taking.

Ahead of the 1995-96 season, Jordan and the Bulls added dynamic rebounder Dennis Rodman and formed a new big three in the wake of imposing big man Horace Grant’s departure two seasons prior. The move paid dividends as Chicago became the biggest juggernaut in basketball history. That first season the Bulls opened the year with an unreal 41-3 mark and would finish with a then-record 72 wins. The sheer dominance resulted in Michael’s fourth league MVP, championship and Finals MVP. The next year was much of the same as the Bulls won 69 games and another title, and Jordan’s claim as the greatest player in the history of the sport to that point was fairly assured. Yet, with all the success on the court, the infighting and politics off it left the Bulls on shaky ground.

‘The Last Dance’ was Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls (1997-98) and is perhaps the most beloved period in Jordan folklore, as Michael reached the apex of his popularity and powers while simultaneously conquering major internal divisions that were fracturing the team dynamics of the late 90s Chicago Bulls. The season is referred to as The Last Dance in large part due to the smash-hit ESPN documentary of the same name, which chronicled the Bulls efforts in the 1997-1998 season. The players were cognizant that the roster would ultimately be disbanded at the end of the season and knew it was their final opportunity to capture a 6th Bulls Championship of the decade. The Last Dance was Michael Jordan’s ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete – a testament to him as a competitor, a sportsman, a teammate, and ultimately, a champion.

The fairytale season culminated in a rematch of the 1997 NBA Finals with the Bulls squaring off against John Stockton, Karl Malone, and the Utah Jazz. In Game 6, with the Bulls leading the series 3-2, Jordan famously came up with a last-minute steal before sinking a game-winning jumper in the closing seconds. It was a picture-perfect ending that only ‘His Airness’ could have delivered. At the conclusion of the game, Jordan was named Finals MVP for an all-time record 6th time.