2003 Exquisite Collection LeBron James ROOKIE PATCH AUTO DNA 10 /99 #78 PSA 8

It was December 2015, and for a moment, basketball was the last thing on LeBron James’ mind. The Cavs and Celtics were locked in a tight back-and-forth battle, but as a timeout came during the second quarter, every eye in TD Garden suddenly shifted to the jumbotron. There was Aaron Miller, a Boston-area high schooler who had spent his entire 16-year life battling a rare form of cerebral palsy called spastic hemiplegia. Aaron, who had suffered a stroke at birth, was told by doctors that he would be paralyzed for life, yet those doctors failed to acknowledge one crucial fact: Aaron was a fighter. Undergoing thousands of hours of surgery and physical therapy, Aaron managed to overcome his condition, even going on to compete for his school’s golf and basketball teams. That night, the Celtics chose to honor the courageous teen, though as the crowd rose to applaud him, LeBron noticed something. Aaron was wearing a specialized pair of LeBron’s signature shoes, ones specifically designed for special-needs children who cannot tie their own shoelaces. “I looked up there and right from there, it became so much more than basketball."" Without hesitation, LeBron broke from the Cavs’ huddle and headed straight for Aaron, who was seated courtside. Placing his hand on the back of the young man’s head, LeBron gave Aaron a silent yet powerful acknowledgement, as if to say, “I see you.” “I felt amazing because I was that kid that sat in the shadows behind everyone, and I was really shy, but when LeBron noticed me and when I got my award, I just felt like I gained a lot of oomph and notoriety,” Aaron said. “I just felt important.” LeBron returned to Aaron after the game with his sneakers from that night, and during the postgame media scrum, he was asked about the touching the moment the two shared on the court. “I felt like I was a part of him,” he told reporters. “It was not for you guys or the fans. It was for him."" It would have been easy for LeBron to just applaud along with the crowd, but growing up a poor kid from Akron in search of affirmation, he understood that one acknowledgment, one simple show of affection, is enough to lift even the lowest of spirits. Young LeBron likely never dreamed that he could have such an impact on others, but as he donned his Cavaliers jersey for the first time, he made it his mission to touch as many hearts and minds as possible. This 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection RPA /99 features LeBron at the start of that journey, just a lanky 18-year-old yet one with the power to change lives. Arguably the most sought-after LeBron rookie issue produced, this stunning Pop 1 of 1 PSA 8 example will put a smile on your face just as wide as Aaron Miller’s on that fateful December night. Aaron says he still looks at the sneakers LeBron gave him every day as a source of inspiration, and if you win this auction, we hope you will do the same with this incredible card.