A signed Kobe Bryant jersey, worn during his lone MVP season in 2007-08, sold for $5.8 million ($5,849,700) with Sotheby’s on Thursday, a record for any Bryant item.
It is the second most expensive basketball jersey ever sold. Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for $10.1m in September 2022, remains the most valuable such item.
While the sale by Sotheby’s in New York set a new record for any Bryant item at auction, it came in under the upper pre-sale estimate of $7m, AFP reports.
Still, the price was comfortably more than the previous high of $3.7m paid for a jersey worn by the Los Angeles Lakers titan, who won five NBA titles and two Olympic Gold medals.
Bryant’s iconic yellow-and-purple number 24 jersey, put up for sale by an anonymous owner, was worn by the legendary Laker in 25 games during the 2007-2008 season, Bryant’s only as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, AFP further reports.
