Collecting 101
Collectors, sports fans enjoy big stars and big fun on Day 1 of Fanatics Fest NYC
Fanatics Fest NYC kicked off with a bang Thursday, with a sold-out crowd entertained by and engaging with some of the biggest names in sports.
LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton played Mind the Game with fans.
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The Roommates Show featured New York stars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Aaron Judge.
WWE champion Cody Rhodes hosted “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” featuring Tom Brady.
And Rob Gronkowski, always one of the biggest stars of the show, delighted fans when he took an ice bath and later plunged into a dunk tank of Raising Cane’s chicken sauce.
And there were at least one $1 million card purchased by a noted collector.
Other highlights included:
• Brady's perfect throw at the Raising Cane's target sent Gronk crashing into a dunk tank filled with Raising Cane's sauce.
• LeBron and Haliburton answered fan questions before LeBron hopped off the stage to chat with fans. The NBA legend also surprised a young fan by signing their trading card live on stage.
• Brady, Gronk and Las Vegas Raisers QB Fernando Mendoza joined NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on stage for the first-ever Disney Fan Draft. Brady and Mendoza made the first overall pick by selecting Darth Vader; Gronkowski picked Captain Hook for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; and Olympic gold medalist Megan Keller revealed Captain America for the New England Patriots.
• NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was greeted to chants of “MVP,” while Knicks teammate Josh Hart tossed Randy's Donuts into the crowd. Yankees great Aaron Judge joined them on The Roommates Show by sharing a story about Hart untying his shoe courtside at a Knicks game.
• Brady surprised fans at the CardVault booth by handing out trading cards and launching autographed footballs into the crowd.
• Gronkowski stole the spotlight again by delivering a signature Gronk Spike during a gender reveal—it's a girl!
• Fresh off the FIFA World Cup, USMNT veteran and Charlotte FC defender Tim Ream stopped by the MLS booth to greet fans and pose for photos.
• “Shark Tank’s” Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary spent over $1 million on a Shohei Ohtani #1/1 Logoman autograph card at the Topps booth.
• MLB great Alex Rodriguez pulled 2025-26 Chrome Basketball Cooper Flagg Rookie Auto #/75 at CardVault the by Tom Brady booth.
