NBA: Iconic Kobe Bryant jersey sells for US$5.8m at auction
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A jersey that belonged to late basketball star Kobe Bryant is displayed at Sotheby's auction house in New York City.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK - A jersey worn by National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant – who died three years ago in a tragic helicopter accident
The sale by Sotheby’s in New York set a new record for any Bryant item at auction but came in under the upper pre-sale estimate of US$7 million.
The price was comfortably more than the previous high of US$3.7 million paid for a jersey worn by the Los Angeles Lakers great, who won five NBA titles and two Olympic gold medals and was an 18-time All Star.
Game-worn sports memorabilia is big business.
Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for US$10.1 million in September 2022, is currently the most valuable such item.
Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey sold for US$9.3 million at Sotheby’s in London, also in 2022.
Bryant’s iconic yellow-and-purple No. 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 campaign as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
Sotheby’s website said the jersey was signed by Bryant.
In one of those 25 appearances – a post-season game against the Denver Nuggets on April 23, 2008 – photographers famously captured Bryant celebrating after a successful three-point shot, gripping his jersey and letting out a primal scream.
The image has since been plastered on walls around the world by street artists, especially in Los Angeles, where Bryant played his entire professional career.
The last time this jersey was put up for auction, in 2013, it fetched only US$18,678.
It was years before Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash in January 2020 that also killed his daughter and seven others, after which his April 2008 celebration became “the image that galvanised the public”, Sotheby’s said.
“The image of Kobe wearing this particular jersey during the NBA play-offs has permeated in popular culture, reprinted on murals, books, newspapers,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables, said in a statement.
“(It) has become a symbol of his fierce determination and passion that has resonated with audiences across the world.” AFP, REUTERS
