Shohei Ohtani's historic 50-50 baseball sells for $4M+: What Kentucky sports relic could fetch the highest price?
When Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball hit auction, it drew in all sports collectors, selling for a jaw-dropping $4.39 million. He was the first ever to hit 50 home runs and steal bases in baseball history. It got me thinking about what UK relic would fetch the most at auction. Think about it: could a piece of basketball history, like a jersey from Anthony Davis’ championship-winning season with the Wildcats, top the bidding wars?
I am keeping it to things on the court; personal items like watches are excluded. And we are keeping it from Pitino forward, as the age of the older relics may come into play.
1. 2012 National Title signed piece of the Final Four floor
One of the cool things college basketball does is sell pieces of the game's used floors. Imagine getting your hands on an Anthony Davis signed piece. To me, this would be the most valuable since Davis has gone on to probably become a Hall of Famer.
2. 2014-2015 Kentucky signed basketball
With future stars, Karl Anthony Towns and Devin Booker, coupled with UK favorites, a signed basketball from this team that finished 38-1 (sorry for bringing that up) would be a dream for a UK collector
3. Pitino's Bombino's signed basketball
Kentucky was on a ban, had a handful of players, and finished .500 for the year. But this was some of the most fun a fanbase has had watching UK play. They gave all they had, had Kentucky legend Richie Farmer, and bombed threes while pressing. Fans still love this team.
I can see football memorabilia making an appearance (goalposts from the LSU win), but with Stoops’ popularity declining and the excitement around basketball with Mark Pope, it's unlikely anything will top basketball-related items.
What do you think? Any legendary items I missed that could command top dollar? And if you could own one relic, which piece of Kentucky sports history would it be?