Former President Barack Obama's High School Basketball Jersey Sold For $120,000

Aug 21, 2019 by apost team

A basketball jersey worn my Barack Obama in high school was auctioned off on Saturday to an unidentified bidder for $120,000.

According to LA Times, the jersey was offered to Heritage Auctions by Peter Noble, who attended Punahou High School and was three years behind Obama. The 55-year-old claims he picked up the jersey as it was about to be trashed.

“I took it because they were getting rid of it,” Noble told the publication. “It meant nothing else, really.”

apost.com

Mike Provenzale, who is the production manager at Heritage Auctions gave possible reasoning for the hight price when speaking to FOX Business:

“Anything related to any political figure stirs a lot of emotion in people but this one is so unique because Obama’s the first president that’s been tied to a sport other than golf, really. There’s been several presidential golf clubs and sets of clubs that have sold in the past at auction, but this is the first athletic item outside of that and definitely the first thing from a president’s youth tied to athletics that’s ever sold.”

The former President has been very vocal about his fondness for basketball. In 2010, the 58-year-old told Marv Albert that basketball was a way to escape when things got tough in the White House.

“During, say, the Health Care Debate, when things are just, you know, going crazy over on Capitol Hill, a lot of times I’ll just come out here and shoot or play a game of HORSE, it just takes an edge off things,” he explained.

The bidder who ended up taking the jersey home has chosen to remain anonymous.

What do you think of the jersey being auctioned off for such a high price? Let us know in the comments - and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!