DJ Steve Aoki's 'Surreal' Reaction to Pulling Rare $40,000 Shohei Ohtani Rookie Card
The music artist and collector expressed disbelief after unboxing the highly sought-after baseball card during a livestream.
DJ Steve Aoki experienced a moment of intense excitement after pulling a rare Shohei Ohtani rookie card, estimated to be worth up to $40,000, during a recent livestream. The card is one of only 99 ever produced.
Aoki was unboxing trading cards with influencer Matcrackz for the debut episode of Hardscope's new collectibles show when the significant pull occurred. Early in the video, Aoki expressed his desire to find the Ohtani card, asking, "Shohei, are you here with us?" Although he initially pulled an autographed LaMonte Wade card, his wish was granted approximately 40 seconds later.
Upon pulling the Ohtani card, Aoki reacted with exuberant shouts, exclaiming, "We got him! Shohei the great!" He described the experience as "probably one of the greatest pulls of my life." Aoki is a known admirer of Ohtani, having been seen attending games and watching him take batting practice during the World Baseball Classic.
While the Ohtani card was a major highlight, it is not the most valuable item in Aoki's extensive collection. He possesses a Tom Brady "2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Autograph" card, for which he paid over $770,000. The Brady card features a Beckett autograph grade of 10, with the card itself graded at a mint nine.
Aoki's collection also includes a triple autograph card featuring Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant, as well as other rare Ohtani cards and pieces from athletes like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Aoki began collecting sports cards in 2020 during a period of downtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports from May indicated that his collection had surpassed 35,000 cards, with a significant portion being stored and managed for potential liquidity through PSA's Vault service.
