josportsco and LeBron James game worn MUST READ

[josportsco]

Jarrod/JOSportsCo,

Thanks for this post. I would have to agree that most of LBJ's jerseys on the market were not worn by him. I know that some of them are real, though, as MeiGray has photomatched some of them ... but just a small number of them compared to how many are floating around. I have been able to obtain several pairs of his Playoff shoes, as well as a couple of pairs of his rookie shoes, but I have not yet been offered a LBJ jersey that I thought was good (MeiGray sold their photomatched ones before I knew of them).

What exactly is your relationship with LeBron? Are you his exclusive agent for his game worn items now? How will you authentication system work? I have heard good things here on GUU about you/your company, and would like to hear more, specifically with reference to LeBron James and his game worn items.

Thanks and glad to see you posting here.
Best,
Reid

Reid I will try to post more here. Chris has talk to me about become more vocal regarding issues but I am just hesitant because I am no where near a "expert" (if there really is one). I have seen a good share of legit football gamers in the last year with my team and player contacts to comment on that subject. My relationship with LeBron is not directly with LeBron so I apoligize if it came accross that way but it is very close with his right hand man who is with him all the time. I am not exclusive with LeBron. My authentication would give you the exact game(s) his equipment was worn. This is why for the past 2 years I have tried with NO success to get one directly from him. They are very tight with the equipment.

[sportscentury]

Reid I will try to post more here. Chris has talk to me about become more vocal regarding issues but I am just hesitant because I am no where near a "expert" (if there really is one). I have seen a good share of legit football gamers in the last year with my team and player contacts to comment on that subject. My relationship with LeBron is not directly with LeBron so I apoligize if it came accross that way but it is very close with his right hand man who is with him all the time. I am not exclusive with LeBron. My authentication would give you the exact game(s) his equipment was worn. This is why for the past 2 years I have tried with NO success to get one directly from him. They are very tight with the equipment.

Jarrod,
Thanks. Please contact me at rgf2@hotmail.com when you get top NBA items such as Lebron stuff. I've been fortunate to be able to acquire several of LBJ's best pairs of game worn shoes. I have been able to photomatch several of them to the exact games I was told he wore them in, and so I am 100% confident in my sources. Jerseys are another story, though. I have had upwards of 20 of them offered to me, but I just didn't feel 100% about any of them, and so I passed. Please keep us posted with what you find out. Thanks for your posts.
Reid

[jobathenut]

josportsco-Thanks,it's just funny when people say how tough a gamer is to find of some players,and that they (the player)claim they don't give them up,but yet they still find thier way to the market.Like barry bonds,he said he never gives up his game used items,but you still see them.In fact i remember watching the story on espn where he said that,when they were doing some show following him.And they showed him in like a storage room full of game used items as he labled a uniform from the days previuos game and put it in a contaner and put it on a shelf and he said "that he always keeps them".So you're saying that the jerseys are stolen,by the ball boy,other members of the team and friends and family of his.How does meigray get them.Thanks for the insight as i have always wondered how this happens.And i always suspected,would'nt it be easy to just steal a jersey if you worked for the team.And you would think a player would see thier jersey for sale and say,"hey,i always keep my jersey's".Well enough rambling from me.thanks

I do not know how they get them. I am just commenting on what I was told directly from LaBron camp. This DOES NOT mean that they get out through equip room, ball boy, LeBron to friend or family etc.

[josportsco]

I cannot speak for MeiGray but they obviously have a close relationship with the NBA and/or Cavs. I am not saying anything is or was stolen but you would have to believe that his legit jerseys do or have made it out in the market. My comment was more toward these hundreds you see with A5-A7 paperwork and the procut selling for 3k as game used. I agree with the athlete comment but I think that comment is few and far between. When LBJ guy told me that nothing goes out, it was more intended toward they do not market them ie. sale on Lebron's website etc.

[jobathenut]

thanks again josportsco-It just has always confused me when i hear players say they always keep thier game used items but yet you see them on the market.And when you said that about james saying that (as i thought you said,he said that and not the person close to him said that)and thats why i asked you this.I mean who owns the game used items,the player or the team.I mean they can't make the player give thier or sell thier game used items to meigray can they.I know nba auction is a different story as i'm sure they can make a player do that.thanks again for your great insight on this

I cannot speak for MeiGray but they obviously have a close relationship with the NBA and/or Cavs. I am not saying anything is or was stolen but you would have to believe that his legit jerseys do or have made it out in the market. My comment was more toward these hundreds you see with A5-A7 paperwork and the procut selling for 3k as game used. I agree with the athlete comment but I think that comment is few and far between. When LBJ guy told me that nothing goes out, it was more intended toward they do not market them ie. sale on Lebron's website etc.

[josportsco]

thanks again josportsco-It just has always confused me when i hear players say they always keep thier game used items but yet you see them on the market.And when you said that about james saying that (as i thought you said,he said that and not the person close to him said that)and thats why i asked you this.I mean who owns the game used items,the player or the team.I mean they can't make the player give thier or sell thier game used items to meigray can they.I know nba auction is a different story as i'm sure they can make a player do that.thanks again for your great insight on this

The teams own the equipment. Not the league nor the player own the equipment. The players have the right to take jersey(s) and the team will charge the player on their paycheck. Each team is different. Depending on the team and player, some can take as many as they want and some can only take only 1 or 2. I am sure a guy like LeBron, Manning can do what they want. A lot of the teams will GIVE the NFL athlete 1 shirt at the end of the year and that is it. It just depends on the team and the stature of the player.

[sportscentury]

thanks again josportsco-It just has always confused me when i hear players say they always keep thier game used items but yet you see them on the market.And when you said that about james saying that (as i thought you said,he said that and not the person close to him said that)and thats why i asked you this.I mean who owns the game used items,the player or the team.I mean they can't make the player give thier or sell thier game used items to meigray can they.I know nba auction is a different story as i'm sure they can make a player do that.thanks again for your great insight on this

Joba, I'm not sure what you're asking in your posts. To be clear, MeiGray has contracts with the NBA and several NBA teams. They don't have a contract with LeBron. When they get LeBron jerseys, it's either through their NBA contract, or because individuals have submitted them to MeiGray for photomatching. The NBA does not provide jerseys to MeiGray that are owned by the players (how could they?).

There continue to be a lot of questions asked about MeiGray on GUU. I again strongly encourage folks to contact Barry/MeiGray directly. They are accessible, informative, and professional.

[xpress34]

The teams own the equipment. Not the league nor the player own the equipment. The players have the right to take jersey(s) and the team will charge the player on their paycheck. Each team is different. Depending on the team and player, some can take as many as they want and some can only take only 1 or 2. I am sure a guy like LeBron, Manning can do what they want. A lot of the teams will GIVE the NFL athlete 1 shirt at the end of the year and that is it. It just depends on the team and the stature of the player.

This is true for MLB as well - as least for the Rockies. I have asked a few guys I got to know over the years working for Nike and Rawlings and was told if I wanted a jersey, they would get me one, but I would have to pay whatever the team charged them for the jersey... of course this was 1st and 2nd year players... Veterans and Stars get much more consideration.

That is why the Rockies (like most teams) sell GU jerseys through their stores.

- Chris

[jobathenut]

sportscentury-I in no way was questioning meigray,i don't know them and am not saying anything bad about them.My whole point was that josports said that james said he does'nt give away his jerseys.And my point was if that was the case,how come you see them on the market,like how does meigray get them than.I was just using them as a example as they were the ones mentioned by others on here.And it was also said on here that the team and not the player own the equipment such as jerseys.So why would meigray need a contract with a individual player to get his items,if they have contract with the teams should'nt that be good enough.And it's a little confusing,you say that meigray has contact with the nba but then you say that they don't provide jerseys to them and you add how could they.Well if they have a contract,isn;t that providing jerseys for them?.Anyway,all i was asking in my post,if a player says he does not give out his items,than how do people get them.

Joba, I'm not sure what you're asking in your posts. To be clear, MeiGray has contracts with the NBA and several NBA teams. They don't have a contract with LeBron. When they get LeBron jerseys, it's either through their NBA contract, or because individuals have submitted them to MeiGray for photomatching. The NBA does not provide jerseys to MeiGray that are owned by the players (how could they?).

There continue to be a lot of questions asked about MeiGray on GUU. I again strongly encourage folks to contact Barry/MeiGray directly. They are accessible, informative, and professional.

[allstarsplus]

Not only that, where are all these "game tagged" jerseys coming from? This to me is a bigger mystery than where all these perfectly tagged Derek Jeter "Non-Steiner" jerseys came from as that had a more logical explanation.

I am specifically talking about the LeBron Reebok rookie era with extra length added and perfectly tagged and all the others on every year since.....

Rudy - It is my opinion with all those Jeter jerseys that Steiner sold un-used game issued that the holograms were removed and re-sold as game used with no Steiner documentation.

On the LeBron jerseys, there has to be a source and you would think Reebok knows where they go and have some sort of quality control on these so you would hope that at some point there is a logical explanation.