A basketball jersey worn by the legendary Kobe Bryant sold at a record-high price of $7 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
According to ESPN, the jersey Bryant wore as a rookie during the 1996-97 season was sold for a reported $7 million, breaking the previous record for a Bryant jersey at $5.85 million. That signed jersey was from his only MVP season, 2007-08. The item was listed on the Sotheby’s auction website and was purchased on April 24.
Sotheby’s sold Kobe Bryant’s first game-worn NBA jersey for $7 million at auction. It is the 2nd highest price ever for an NBA game-worn jersey after the $10.1 million paid for Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals one. pic.twitter.com/b6qIwOvsEP
— Kurt Badenhausen (@kbadenhausen) April 24, 2025
The auction initially listed the item that was photo-matched to seven games.
“Worn during his first game (both in the regular season and preseason) with the Los Angeles Lakers, this jersey encapsulates the very beginning of a career that would transcend the sport.”
Bryant’s debut for the Lakers on the basketball court occurred during the preseason on Oct. 16, 1996. However, Sotheby’s stated that the jersey was first seen on Bryant during his first NBA media day appearance on Oct. 1, 1996. He wore it two days after his first preseason game, on Oct. 18. The jersey was worn four more times during the regular season, when he made his regular season debut on Nov. 3, and then on Nov. 10, 15, and 20.
The $7 million jersey is the fourth-most-expensive game-worn sports jersey behind the $24 million Babe Ruth “called shot” jersey, Michael Jordan’s $10.1 million “Last Dance” jersey, and Diego Maradona’s $9.3 million “Hand of God” Argentina jersey from the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
“Debut games are truly one-of-a-kind moments in an athlete’s career,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, in a written statement. “They mark the nascency of an extraordinary journey, and for iconic athletes like Kobe Bryant, these milestones hold even more significance as they represent a singular moment in time that can never be replicated.”
Bryant played his entire career with the Lakers, winning five NBA championships, becoming a two-time Finals MVP, and earning the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player award. He made the All-Star team 18 times and became the youngest player to reach 30,000 points. In his final game before retiring in 2016, he scored an NBA season-high 60 points.
The 41-year-old basketball legend died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others on Jan. 26, 2020.
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