A copy of the PAL version of the NTSC Sega Genesis Lakers vs Celtics was recently sold for $10,000!
Lakers vs Celtics and NBA Playoffs, a rare basketball game that was released in 1990 for the Sega Mega Drive, was recently sold on eBay for £7870, which is approximately $9800!
The game is considered to be one of the "holy grails" for European Sega Mega Drive collectors and this is interesting because the release in North America was quite common. Copies of the NTSC Sega Genesis game "Lakers vs Celtics" can often be seen on eBay at prices ranging from $5 to $20.
The PAL version of the game was almost ready for release and the British magazine CVG even reviewed it with an 88% rating. However, at the very last moment, the game was cancelled and never officially appeared on the European market.
According to a 2017 Eurogamer article, EA had problems with obtaining an NBA licence for European markets, but this problem was resolved in time for the release of the next game in the series, Bulls vs Lakers.
Currently, 13 original copies of the PAL version of the game are known to exist, so check your old drawers - you might have some rare game that will be worth a lot of money.
Source: VGC
