A jersey that Kobe Bryant wore during his 1996-97 rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers has sold for $7 million at an auction with Sotheby’s on Thursday. The jersey was photo-matched to seven games in Bryant’s rookie campaign, including in his preseason debut on Oct. 16, 1996, his regular-season debut on Nov. 3, 1996, and his NBA media day.
The jersey set a new record for any Bryant sports collectible, which surpassed the $5,849,700 that was sent on a game-worn, signed jersey from Bryant’s 2007-08 MVP season. This Bryant rookie jersey last sold for $115,242 at an auction back in 2012.
“Debut games are truly one-of-a-kind moments in an athlete’s career,” Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles Brahm Wachter told ESPN. “They mark the nascency of an extraordinary journey, and for iconic athletes like Kobe Bryant, these milestones hold even more significance as they represent a singular moment in time that can never be replicated.”
The $7 million price tag for the Bryant jersey is the fourth most-expensive game-worn sports jersey behind only Babe Ruth’s “called shot” jersey ($24 million), Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” jersey ($10.1 million), and soccer star Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” 1986 FIFA World Cup jersey ($9.3 million).
In his regular-season debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bryant failed to score and was 0-of-1 from the field in 6:22 of playing time. Over the course of his rookie campaign, the Lakers legend averaged 15.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per contest.
Bryant ended up being an All-Star and was the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year Award in the following season.
