Topline
A Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn by the late Kobe Bryant during his lone MVP season in 2007 sold for $5.8 million Thursday, making it the second most valuable game-worn jersey ever auctioned and the highest-selling price ever for any Bryant item, according to Sotheby’s.
Kobe Bryant’s 2007-08 jersey.
Key Facts
The signed No. 24 jersey was worn by Kobe Bryant when he was awarded his lone MVP trophy on May 7, 2008, according to Sotheby’s.
The final bid marks the second-highest price for a game-worn jersey ever sold at an auction, trailing a jersey worn by Michael Jordan in the 1998 NBA Finals that sold for just over $10 million in September 2022.
A signed jersey worn by Bryant during his rookie season previously held the record for the highest-selling Bryant item and highest-selling basketball jersey ever, fetching a final sale price of $3.69 million in May 2021.
Surprising Fact
Only a few non-sports card items have ever sold for more than $5 million at an auction. A jersey worn by Babe Ruth between 1928 and 1930 sold for $5.64 million in June 2019, and the only other items to do so—in addition to the jerseys worn by Bryant and Jordan—are an 1892 Olympic Games manifesto (sold for $8.8 million in 2019) and Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal jersey (sold for $9.28 million in May 2022) worn during the 1986 World Cup.
Further Reading
LeBron James’ Jersey From 2013 NBA Finals Sells For $3.6 Million At Auction (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/02/09/kobe-bryants-mvp-jersey-sells-for-58-million-second-most-valuable-jersey-ever/