When 'Pawn Stars' host Chumlee called a legendary basketball coach to verify his own signature

He was called by Chumlee to authenticate a signature and a suit he might have worn during games.

PUBLISHED AUG 12, 2025

Screenshot showing (from L to R) the guest, John Calipari, and Chumlee on "Pawn Stars." (Cover image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

"Pawn Stars" is one of the most popular shows on American TV, and it's not surprising that it hosts famous personalities who often arrive to authenticate items. One such celeb, invited by Chumlee, was a Hall of Famer and basketball coach, John Calipari. He was called to take a look at a couple of items that he might have been familiar with. The seller was a die-hard Kentucky sports fan with all sorts of sports memorabilia that belonged to Kentucky.

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On the day Chumlee went to see him, the guest, Jimmy, was willing to sell four items, which were, a Devin Booker game-worn jersey from the one year he played for the Kentucky Wildcats, a pair of Lebron 7 shoes game-worn and signed by John Wall, a basketball with Calipari’s signature on it, and a suit that supposedly belonged to the Hall of Fame coach. Jimmy wanted $3,000 for the jersey, $4,500 for the shoes, $200 for the ball, and $5,000 for the suit.

Chumlee obviously had to get all these authenticated, so the first person she called was a woman named Jess Mineo, the general manager of Bleecker Trading. Mineo noted several features about the jersey that proved it was authentic, like the SEC logo that was sewn on instead of laminated, and its size description. She knew that this was rare, as Booker was only a part of the Wildcats for a single season, and said that it was worth $2,500.

Screenshot showing the guest and Chum Lee with the full collection. (Image credit: YouTube | Pawn Stars) — Screenshot showing the guest and Chum Lee with the full collection. (Image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

She was even more impressed by the shoes. “These are obviously super rare,” she noted. “These do not surface a lot at all, and this was the debut game. I’d say $4,000.” Chumlee was satisfied, but he needed more help with the signature on the ball and the suit. If the suit was worn during a game, it could be worth a lot of money. So, he called in the Hall of Fame coach who won the 2011-12 national championship with Kentucky, whose suit it supposedly was.

Calipari knew that the suit belonged to him as the name on the inside was mispelled ‘Calapari.’ He said that he had worn it during multiple games, possibly even during a Final Four match. That made the suit highly desirable and valuable. When it came to the ball, the coach said that he signed several, as he always did whenever his team won a game. Calipari and Jimmy knew each other, and the latter probably would not have an issue getting another signed ball for free.

Screenshot showing Jimmy and Coach Calipari sharing a hug. (Image credit: YouTube | Pawn Stars) — Screenshot showing Jimmy and Coach Calipari sharing a hug. (Image source: YouTube | Pawn Stars)

Chumlee did not want to make an offer for the suit as he believed that Jimmy could sell it for more than he could offer in Kentucky. However, for the rest of the collection, he offered $3,500. The guest wanted $3,800, and that was a good enough deal for the pawn shop celebrity.