The game worn jersey Kobe Bryant rocked his 1996-1997 rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers sold at auction Thursday for a record-breaking $7 million.
Sotheby's did not disclose the identity of the winning bidder, but it’s the highest price ever fetched for Black Mamba memorabilia and sets a new record for the most expensive Bryant-related item ever sold at auction.
In the past, other Bryant collectibles have garnered high bids.
The locker Bryant used at the Staples Center previously sold for $2.88 million, while his "Achilles" game-worn sneakers were purchased for $660,000, and according to Yahoo Sports, his Nike Kobe 7 sneakers sold for $190,500.
During his lifetime, Bryant and his merchandise were always immensely popular and demand only continued to grow following his tragic death in a 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, which also claimed the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
In a statement, Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles said the jersey is “as rare as they come.”
“Rookie jerseys represent the genesis of an athlete's career,” Wachter said. “Debut games are something every athlete experiences just once in their career journey and is a moment where the hype of their pre-professional career finally comes to bear in the big leagues.”
Bryant’s jerseys were already among the top ten most valuable NBA jerseys ever sold by Sotheby’s. Others previously on the auction block include his MVP 2007-2008 Los Angeles Lakers game worn and signed jersey, which sold for $5,849,700, and his 2009 NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers game worn jersey, purchased for $1,754,000.
With Thursday's auction, Bryant's debut season jersey fetched the second highest price ever for an NBA jersey. The most valuable NBA jersey auctioned at Sotheby’s was worn by Michael Jordan in the 1998 NBA Finals, and sold for approximately $10.1 million.