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You are here: Home / Sports Memorabilia News / Shaq Uniform from Kobe’s Debut Nets $262,500

Shaq Uniform from Kobe’s Debut Nets $262,500

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A full uniform worn by Shaquille O’Neal during the 1996-97 NBA season—including the game in which 18-year-old Kobe Bryant made his NBA debut—sold for $262,500 on Sunday.  It’s the most ever paid at public auction for any O’Neal item.

The gold and purple home uniform was part of an auction featuring more than 1,600 items displayed at Planet Hollywood locations around the world.

The 18-year-old Bryant didn’t appear in the Lakers’ first regular season game but played several minutes in the next one against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 3, 1996.  O’Neal scored 35 points and grabbed 19 points that night.

The jersey is a size 56 and the shorts are a size 50 to fit O’Neal’s sizeable frame.

According to Heritage, the O’Neal uniform has also been photo-matched to use in at least five other games, all of which resulted in double-double stat lines.  

While the first few years didn’t result in huge successes, the Lakers ultimately won three straight titles during his time in Los Angeles—2000, 2001 and 2002 and O’Neal was the Finals MVP in all three of those seasons.

According to Heritage, the uniform was originally obtained directly from the Lakers and “exhibits heavy game wear and the threading on the numbers is loose.”

Also sold in the auction were the uniform worn by Kevin Costner as Crash Davis in the 1988 movie Bull Durham and the uniform shirt and signed jacket donned by Robert Redford in The Natural.  Both netted $81,250.

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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].