Kobe Bryant Game-Worn Lakers Rookie Jersey Sells for Record $3.69 Million

Kobe Bryant Game-Worn Lakers Rookie Jersey Sells for Record $3.69 Million article feature image
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Icon Sportswire. Pictured: Kobe Bryant (1996).

A game-used Kobe Bryant signed rookie jersey sold for $3.69 million late Saturday night, breaking the record for the most expensive basketball jersey ever sold.

The jersey, auctioned off by Goldin Auctions, was photo-matched to a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Dec. 1996, four other games and his rookie photo shoot.

The previous high for a basketball jersey was a Michael Jordan UNC jersey that sold for $1.38 million earlier this month.

$1.38 million: Price paid tonight at @HeritageAuction for a Michael Jordan jersey worn by MJ from the 1982-83 season at UNC pic.twitter.com/CwResj9WLE

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 8, 2021


The jersey was undoubtedly boosted by publicity surrounding Goldin and Bryant. Goldin was a sponsor of Bryant’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last week.

To put the $3.69 million price in perspective, Goldin sold four Kobe game-used rookie jerseys in the past — the cheapest for $4,910 (2018) and the most expensive, prior to this, for $65,280 (2020).

Other auction highlights included a T206 Honus Wagner, which sold for $3.7 million, a record for that card, and a Michael Jordan signed game-used jersey swatch card, which sold for a Jordan card record of $2.1 million.

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About the Author
Darren is a Senior Executive Producer at The Action Network, covering all angles of the sports betting world. He spent two stints at ESPN, from 2000-06 and 2012-18, he regularly wrote for ESPN.com and contributed to ESPN shows, including SportsCenter and Outside The Lines. He also served as a business correspondent for ABC News, where he made appearances on the network’s flagship shows, including “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight” and “Nightline.” While at CNBC from 2006-2012, Rovell anchored five primetime documentaries, including “Swoosh! Inside Nike,” which was nominated for an Emmy. Rovell also contributed to NBC News, where he earned an Emmy as a correspondent for the network’s Presidential Election coverage.

Follow Darren Rovell @darrenrovell on Twitter/X.

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