The jersey worn by Kobe Bryant in the greatest NBA Finals performance of his career sold for $1,754,000 Wednesday afternoon as part of a collection of Los Angeles Lakers related items offered by Sotheby’s.
The gold jersey with Bryant’s number 24 was worn in Game 1 of the 2009 Finals when he poured in 40 points. grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists in a win over the Orlando Magic. The win set the stage for a 4-1 series win that marked Bryant’s fourth NBA title, but the first out of the shadow of Shaquille O’Neal.
The jersey carried a $1.5-$2.5 million presale estimate. The winning bid was the only one submitted.
Photomatched by MeiGray and first offered just days after the game via NBA Auctions, it was purchased by a private collector for $35,270, then considered a strong price for an NBA jersey. Sotheby’s now runs the league’s auction platform.
Bryant’s 2009 Game 3 jersey sold for $915,000 at Goldin last month. Originally sold at NBA Auctions in the summer of 2009, it was sold again in 2021 by Grey Flannel Auctions for $337,334.
The record price for a Kobe Bryant jersey is $5.8 million paid early last year for one used during his 2007-08 MVP season. A game-worn and autographed basketball jersey from his 1996-97 rookie season sold to billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Bob Duggan for nearly $3.7 million in 2021.
Also sold Wednesday’s Laker-centric sale were two pieces of recent LeBron James memorabilia. The rim and net from the Feb. 7, 2023 game in which he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record went for $152,400.
The winning bidder was David Kohler, founder of SCP Auctions, who owns a remarkable collection of Lakers memorabilia.
James’ fadeaway jump shot with 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Lakers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, pushed him past Abdul-Jabbar’s total of 38,387, a record that had stood for nearly 39 years.
“I have the last game basket from the Forum so this is a nice bookend!” Kohler told us. “I feel this is such an iconic piece of NBA memorabilia. A record that will probably never be reached in the future and has Lakers lore all over it.”
All of the net proceeds from the hammer price of the rim and net will be donated to the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation via the MeiGray Group.
The white jersey worn by James on January 15, 2023 when James became only the second player in the history of the NBA to surpass the 38,000 career points mark sold for $393,700.
Wearing the number 23 jersey, James surpassed the 38,000-point mark with a first-quarter jumper over P.J. Tucker off an assist from Russell Westbrook.
In a second Sotheby’s auction that closed later Wednesday, a jersey worn by Michael Jordan when he shattered a backboard during a 1985 Nike sponsored game in Italy sold for $571,500.
The signed jersey was originally offered by Sotheby’s in 2020. It later wound up on the fractional shares market at Rally. Earlier this year, shareholders voted to consign the jersey to Sotheby’s once again.
The jersey worn by Ernie Banks in 1971 when he hit his 500th career home run tallied $406,400, while another worn by Bob Cousy in the 1962 NBA Finals realized $190,500. A football used in Tom Brady’s final career game in the 2022 playoffs went for $57,150.
Prices include the buyer’s premium added by Sotheby’s.
Related Stories:
LeBron Opening Night Lakers Jersey Fetches Big Bucks
Notes: Kohler Buys Kobe’s 81-Point Game Shirt; Porzingis “Sorry” Jersey, Wander 1/1 to Auction; Shows in CT, SW Indiana
Bevy of Big Name NBA Gamers at Goldin
Michael Jordan 1998 “Last Dance” Finals Jersey Sells for $10.1 Million
Notes: New Prez at PSA; Mikan Memorabilia; Negro Leaguers Honored with New Strat-o-Matic Collab; eBay Sales
Items from LeBron’s 38,000th Point and Record Breaking Night Up for Auction
Jordan, Kobe Jerseys, Messi Prizm 1/1 Top Goldin Elite Sale
Photo Of Jerry West’s Iconic Buzzer Beater In 1970 NBA Finals Authenticated
