For hardened NBA fans, hoops trading cards have been part of the fun for years. But one featuring the Menendez brothers has sold for an eye-watering stack of cash.
Basketball and true crime documentaries aren’t typically things that go hand in hand, but thanks to Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the two are now incredibly linked.
If you’re a fan of either, you might have noticed an unexpected fact floating around social media over the years – the trading card of Mark Jackson features the brothers, who are currently in prison for the murders of their parents, sitting in the stands behind.
Thanks to the new Netflix series, traction has caught on, with one of said cards selling for a remarkable $600. For context, the same card was worth 15 cents five years ago.
Just opened 10 packs of early 90s hoops cards. My highlight was unfortunately the Mark Jackson card, with the Menendez brothers sitting courtside. Given the timeline of the picture, their parents were already murdered. They hadn’t been apprehended yet. pic.twitter.com/Y134ox4VOi
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 29, 2020
The new record is thanks to an eBay purchase on September 25, with collectors previously stating the card was worth around $530 earlier in the week.
However, if you have one sitting at home and think you can sell it for some last-minute cash, hold your horses. eBay has now started to pull listings of the card from the site… because they’re “affiliated with a known murderer.”
Regardless, there’s some interesting lore around how they came to be in the photo. If you’ve watched the new TV show, you’ll know there was a year between the murders and the arrest of the Menendez brothers.
It’s reported that the two lived extravagantly in the meantime off of insurance money, with a trip courtside part of the outgoings.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
As a result, the pair were seen at a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden after the death of their parents in March 1989.
It was thought the brothers spent a total of $700,000 during the year before their arrests.
Since Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story aired, Erik Menendez has spoken out about the “horrible and blatant lies” the series has depicted.
Creator Ryan Murphy has since responded, “I think it’s interesting that he’s issued a statement without having seen the show. It’s really, really hard if it’s your life, to see your life up on screen.”
The two are currently fighting their case from prison, with a petition set up to free them in order for a “fairer retrial.”
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is on Netflix now. There’s also a new documentary about the case coming to Netflix on October 7. Find out what legal experts say about the case and where Dr. Jerome Oziel is now.