Basketball · REFERENCE ENTRY
LeBron James
2003 · Topps Basketball · #221
James’s regular Topps #221 is an exact entry in PSA’s rookie checklist.
- Sport
- Basketball
- Year / season
- 2003
- Set
- Topps Basketball
- Number
- #221
- Format
- Card
- Issue status
- Rookie card
About this card
LeBron James’s 2003 Topps Basketball card is number 221 in that release. This is Topps’ paper-stock flagship basketball set, from the years when Topps made NBA cards each season.
The catalog labels this a rookie card, based on the source cited below.
How to identify it
Paper base cards like this were printed in large numbers, so condition and the exact edition matter most. Other versions of the same player from the same year usually carry different numbers, so confirm the brand printed on the card.
In LeBron James’s run
LeBron James has 4 entries in this catalog, from 2003 to 2025–26, and this is the earliest of them. Nearby entries are listed below, so you can compare the releases that sit around this one.
- LeBron James, 2003–04 Topps Chrome Basketball #111
- LeBron James, 2025–26 Topps Basketball #150
- LeBron James, 2025–26 Topps Chrome Basketball #127
In the 2003 checklist
This is the only entry from the 2003 Topps Basketball release in the catalog so far. The full release has more cards; this page covers the one cataloged here.
What to know about this issue
- PSA lists Topps #221 separately from Topps Chrome #111.
- Topps Collection #221 is another listed issue; preserve the complete set title.
Inspect the source
Source reviewed 2026-10-07. The source describes this issue; it does not verify any item offered by a third party.
No assigned grade, market value or verified offer is supplied by this reference entry.
Read the basketball collecting guide
Player photograph · card scan unavailable for this issue.
Ian D'Andrea from Philadelphia, PA, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Photograph source and licenseRaw or graded. Inspect the actual copy.
The issue stays 2003 · Topps Basketball. These are research checks, not a condition assessment of a specimen.
Raw / ungraded
- Match the issue
- Match the full year or season, release, number and named edition to this reference. Ask for readable images of the actual item’s front and back.
- Record visible condition
- Inspect corners, edges, centering and surface in suitable photographs or in person. Record damage or unanswered questions without assigning a predicted professional grade.
- Keep authentication separate
- Ungraded does not establish authenticity or mean “never authenticated.” A protective case alone does not establish a professional condition grade.
Professionally graded
- Read the complete label
- Record the grading company, exact issue, card grade and any qualifiers or designation. Keep an autograph grade separate from the card’s condition grade. An authentication-only designation may have no numeric condition grade.
- Compare the certification record
- Use the company’s official lookup and compare its issue details and available images with the actual item, label and holder. A matching certification number alone does not establish that an offered item is genuine.
- Compare within the stated scale
- Retain the company’s exact grade name and number. Different companies and grade designations are not automatically equivalent; a numeric label does not establish a current price.
A source-linked reference or historical scan does not authenticate the card you are considering. CardRoster supplies no assigned grade, certification or price for it.