In the leadup to the 2003 NBA Draft, trading card companies knew the star-studded draft class led by LeBron James would present an opportunity to capitalize on newfound interest in the industry. The 2003-04 basketball card release calendar was littered with new products and new concepts, but Topps cast one of the first stones into the upcoming frenzy by inserting 2003 NBA Draft redemption cards into boxes of 2002-03 Finest—giving LeBron and nine other draftees extended rookie cards (XRCs) and parallels such as this 2002 Finest /25 Gold Refractor, the scarcest among LeBron’s rookie Refractors.
In each box of 2002 Finest, collectors found a redemption card for one of the first ten selections in the 2003 NBA Draft. By the time collectors uncovered their redemption card, they would have known what player corresponded to it because the NBA held its draft a month before Finest cards hit store shelves. Topps fulfilled XRC redemptions received by June 26, 2004, including an exchange for this bookend 1/25 example of LeBron’s Gold Refractor. Topps used photos from draft night on the cards, giving them more of an NBA feel than if the company had used collegiate or high school action photos.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 07/08/2025.
