Bronny James' Game-Worn Summer League Jersey Sells For $38K At Auction

Bronny James' NBA gear is rakin' in bank before ever playing a regular season game ... 'cause the young hooper's first Summer League jersey sold for over $38K!!

The purple and gold uniform top from the July 12 tilt between the Lakers and Houston Rockets at the Las Vegas SL was recently sold by Sotheby's (in mid-September) ... and is now part of "The Shrine," one of if not the most impressive private collection of Lakers memorabilia in the world.

Bronny played 27 minutes, scoring 8 points in the contest.

It was the first NBA action "Prince James" saw ... after L.A. drafted him late in the second round of this summer's NBA Draft.

As for the identity of the lucky buyer ... it was David Kohler, founder and president of SCP Auctions, who dropped the cash.

When Kohler isn't himself auctioning off top sports memorabilia and cards, he maintains a jaw-droppingly impressive collection of Lakers swag, including items from Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Jerry West, Bronny's pops, and just about every significant player to wear a Lakers uniform.

Kohler, who owns everything from Cap's goggles to Kob's game-worn Kobe 4s from the 2009 NBA Playoffs, told us he wanted to jersey because of the history ... with Bron and Bronny being the first father-son teammates in NBA history.

Speaking of history, Bronny is expected to make his preseason debut on Friday night ... though fans will have to wait to see the James' on the court together -- LeBron isn't playing.

Even sans dad, Bronny's excited and anxious for his debut.

"I'm just excited to go out there and learn and learn from the people playing in front of me," James said.

"And, if I get a chance to showcase my game, then I’m going to do that to the best of my ability."