Before LeBron James arrived in Cleveland, the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons did not have an intense rivalry, but Topps seemingly predicted the future when producing LeBron’s 2003-04 Topps Chrome rookie card. As LeBron developed, the teams became fierce Eastern Conference foes, and he took some of his first shots in the budding rivalry during a preseason game on October 7, 2003. Allen Einstein, Detroit’s team photographer, captured an image of LeBron shooting a jumper over Ben Wallace during that game, and Topps used it for LeBron’s revered Chrome rookie card. Topps gave the rookies more appeal in the Chrome set by updating the photos, giving most of them NBA action shots instead of the draft night or college photos found on most rookie cards in the flagship Topps set.
The shot of LeBron’s shot over Wallace remains one of the most enduring images of LeBron’s illustrious cardboard career. And that reverence is only enhanced by the addition of the stunning Gold Refractor shine. Numbered /50, it is the rarest parallel for one of The King's crowning rookie cards outside of four different 1/1 Printing Plates. The 2003-04 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor LeBron James simply doesn't surface for sale publicly very often.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 02/23/2026.
