Kobe Bryant #24 Jersey: Sold for almost $900K in historic auction

Kobe Bryant Jersey Achieves Million-Dollar Price at Auction

A historic Kobe Bryant jersey, the first he wore with the number 24 for the Los Angeles Lakers, recently sold for $889,000, including the buyer’s premium, at a Sotheby’s auction. This event marked a milestone in the sports memorabilia market, highlighting Bryant’s enduring legend. The jersey was worn by Bryant in a game where he scored 23 points, in the 118-112 victory against the Seattle Supersonics on November 3, 2006. In that season, Bryant managed to score 50 points or more on 10 occasions, on his way to his second and last title of league top scorer.

The jersey is autographed by Bryant with the inscriptions “FIRST 24” and “1/1” on the numbers, and includes an Upper Deck hologram, a company that had an autograph and memorabilia agreement with Bryant until 2009. In addition, MeiGray Authenticated confirmed the authenticity of the jersey, verifying that it was used during the Lakers’ media day in October 2006. The highest price paid for a Bryant jersey was $7 million, for one that was used in seven games of his rookie season in 1996-97. That jersey was also sold by Sotheby’s in April.

Jerry West Jersey Also Up for Auction

In the same auction, a jersey worn by Jerry West between 1964 and 1967 sold for $533,400. West’s jersey was worn in the sixth game of the 1965 and 1966 Western Division Finals, and in the second game of the 1966 NBA Finals, according to verification by Sports Investors Authentication.

SIA’s letter of authenticity indicates that the jersey was “likely” worn during the 1965 and 1966 NBA Finals.

Sports Investors Authentication

The West jersey lot also included a warm-up jacket, shorts and socks, which the auction house “also believes were game-worn.” In 1967, Frank O’Neill, a former Lakers coach, received the items when the team moved to The Forum, and they have remained in a private collection until now. In May, a collector acquired a West jersey, verified for four Lakers games from the 1969-70 season, for $868,000, a record for a West item. The jersey that Wayne Gretzky wore in his last NHL game with the New York Rangers on April 18, 1999, was expected to sell for more than $1 million, but Sotheby’s confirmed that the bids did not reach a set reserve price and the jersey was not sold.