Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant delivered so many unforgettable memories during his Hall of Fame career. Now, a game-worn jersey from one of his first NBA playoff games will likely do down as one of the biggest jersey sales ever.
A five-time NBA champion, Bryant made his playoff debut on April 25, 1997, against the Portland Trail Blazers. He only played 46 seconds in that matchup and scored two points. He would later score 22 points in his third playoff game then scored 19 points on May 8, 1997 after hitting 13-of-14 free throws against the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
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More than two decades after he wore that uniform from his 19-point performance against Karl Malone and John Stockton, Bryant’s jersey sold at auction for an astonishing price.
Recently placed on SCP Auctions, the game-worn Kobe Bryant jersey sold for $2.735 million, per TMZ Sports. Following an intense bidding war featuring 26 offers, the final bid of $2,735,546 came out on top for the piece of NBA history.
Across 220 career playoff games, Bryant averaged 25.6 points. He also averaged more than 30 points per playoff game in five separate years, including his last postseason appearance with the Lakers in 2012.
- Kobe Bryant career stats: 33,643 points (25 ppg), 6,306 assists (5.2 apg), 1,944 steals (1.4 spg)
Moore than a year after the devastating helicopter crash that killed nine people, including Jobe and Gianna Bryant, a settlement was reached between the pilot’s estate and the helicopter operations company with the families in June 2021.