LeBron James Lakers Jersey Sold in Store Before He Officially Signed Contract

Fans hoping to get their hands on a LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers jersey got their first chance Friday.

And then, in the blink of an eye, that opportunity was gone.

In the afternoon, ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted a video of the NBA Store in Manhattan making James jerseys available to the public:

That turned out to be problematic, however.

Rovell later reported the jerseys were pulled from the rack less than an hour later. Why? The NBA does not allow stores to sell them before a player officially signs with a team.

While Klutch Sports Group announced last Sunday that James agreed to join the Lakers, free agents were not allowed to sign contracts until the moratorium period came to an end Friday at noon ET. The four-time NBA MVP has yet to put ink to paper.

Some fans were able to take advantage of the mistake and purchase jerseys. The rest of the world, though, must wait until James signs on the dotted line.