The high school basketball jersey of the former US President, Barack Obama, has been sold for $120,000.
The jersey was sold out at a Dallas auction house to a collector of American and sports artefacts who pleaded anonymity.
According to Heritage Auctions, the number 23 jersey belonged to 18-year-old Obama while he was a senior at Punahou High School in Hawaii, where he lived at the time.
The backstory: Obama’s schoolmate, Peter Noble was said to have found the jersey after so many years. He was about to thrash it when he saw an old picture of Obama wearing a No. 23 jersey on the school’s 1979 Hawaii State Championship team. Obama had been elected president when he discovered the jersey, so he thought the jersey would be an interesting thing to show.
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Although the jersey was valued at $100,000, it was sold for $120,000.
This is not the first time items belonging to Obama have been sold. Some original and quirky pencil sketches believed to be made by Obama were sold in 2017 for $11,000. The doodles were reportedly sold with a letter from Samuel Sutton, the personal valet to Obama, who retained several souvenirs from the White House.
Obama’s interest in basketball: Obama is a basketball fan whose interest in the sport is widely known. During his days in the White House, Obama was constantly seen playing basketball with his assistant, Reggie. He has also partnered to form the Basketball Africa League with the NBA and has been involved with the Giants of Africa youth basketball program.
Obama reportedly played basketball with celebrities and other guests who visited the White House.
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Obama became the first African American President in the United States of America between 2009 to 2017.
