Kobe Bryant. Photo: Photosport
A Kobe Bryant jersey worn during his Los Angeles Lakers pre-season and regular-season debuts was sold for US$7 million (NZ$11.7 million) at Sotheby's in New York City, the auction house said.
The jersey was photo-matched to seven games of his 1996-97 rookie season including his 16 October pre-season debut and 3 November regular season debut in 1996, as well as his NBA media day.
At US$7 million the item is the fourth-most expensive game-worn sports jersey behind Babe Ruth's "called shot" jersey (US$24 million), Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey (US$10.1 million), and Diego Maradona's Argentina shirt from the 1986 World Cup US$9.3 million.
Photo: Getty Images
"Debut games are truly one-of-a-kind moments in an athlete's career," Sotheby's head of modern collectibles Brahm Wachter said in a statement to ESPN.
"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."
The sale was a record for a Bryant collectible, surpassing the US$5.85 million paid for his signed, game-worn 2007-08 MVP season jersey.
Five-time NBA champion Bryant died aged 41 in a January 2020 helicopter crash that also killed his daughter Gianna and seven others.
- Reuters
