Barack Obama's High School Basketball Jersey Up for Auction
Some of basketball's brightest stars have worn No. 23, and now we can add former President Barack Obama to that list.
Obama's game-worn high school basketball jersey is up for auction through Heritage Auctions. Bidding for the white and blue jersey–featuring No. 23–started at $25,000. As of Saturday night, the current bid was at $26,000, but Heritage estimates it could go as high as $100,000. Obama wore the jersey during his senior year at Punahou High School when he was a member of the 1979 Hawaii state champion boy's varsity basketball team.
According to Heritage, Obama's jersey was "fortuitously rescued from being discarded when the new varsity jerseys arrived on campus only because our consignor Peter Noble, three years behind Obama at Punahou, had worn the same number '23' jersey while on the junior varsity team."
Obama went on to become the 44th president of the United States and shared his love for basketball with the world. During his time in office, he filled out March Madness brackets and welcomed NCAA tournament and NBA Finals winners to the White House. Obama continues to regularly attend basketball games and was sitting courtside when Zion Williamson famously ripped through his shoe during the Duke-UNC rivalry last February.
Now a piece of basketball and presidential history can be yours, too.
