This tunic became Thursday the third most expensive sports item in history, behind the tunics of Michael Jordan and Diego Maradona.
The auction house Sotheby’s sold, Thursday, February 9, a jersey of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident in 2020, for 5.8 million dollars (5.4 million euros). “This jersey is an icon as we rarely see for sporting goods, it was worn 25 times by Kobe throughout the 2007-2008 NBA season”where he was named best player of the regular season with his mythical number 24 at the Lakers, commented Brahm Wachter, who heads the department of streetwear and modern collectibles at Sotheby’s.
“The image of Kobe wearing this particular jersey has passed into popular culture, been reprinted on storefronts, books, newspapers and has become a symbol of his unwavering determination and passion that resonates around the world.”welcomed Brahm Wachter.
The third biggest sale in history for a sports jersey
The sale of this jersey donned by Kobe Bryant on April 23, 2008 and made famous by a snapshot of the player, celebrating a three-point shot against the Denver Nuggets while screaming a victory cry, represents the third highest price for a jersey of sport. Last September, a jersey of the number 23 Chicago Bulls, basketball player Michael Jordan, worn during his last victorious NBA title in 1998, reached 10.1 million dollars (9.4 million euros).
He had then surpassed the price of that of the captain of the Argentine football team Diego Maradona worn during the World Cup in 1986, bought for 9.3 million dollars (8.6 million euros) in May .
Sotheby’s, owned by Franco-Israeli telecom and media magnate Patrick Drahi, also recalls selling a jersey two weeks ago worn by another basketball star, LeBron James, for $ 3.6 million (3.3 million euros).
