Categories: Sports

First Game, Forever Iconic: Kobe’s Lakers Debut Jersey Commands $7 Million

The jersey worn by Kobe Bryant during his NBA debut has sold for an impressive $7 million at auction which broke the previous record of Bryant items. The jersey was worn at Bryant’s rookie season in 1996-97 and it was auctioned in New York City by Sotheby’s. This is a landmark moment in sports memorabilia of any sort and it cements the legacy of Kobe Bryant even further.

The yellow Lakers jersey holding Bryant’s No.8 was photo-matched to seven games during his rookie year, including both his regular-season and preseason debuts. The significant sale broke the prior record for a Bryant item, a signed game-worn jersey that sold for $5.85 million from the 2007-08 MVP season.

This jersey has a unique place in basketball history as this was the start of one of the most iconic careers in all sports. Bryant, a 18 years old scored no points in this his first regular season game, on November 3 against the Minnesota 

Timberwolves but he would go on to be regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, take home 5 NBA Championships and earn many accolades throughout his career.

Sotheby’s said the jersey represented an intersection of the raw potential of a teenage prodigy and the polished greatness that was to follow, highlighting it like a symbol of Bryant’s amazing evolution from rookie to global icon.

The auction price of $7 million ranks Kobe Bryant’s debut jersey now joins the Elite club of world’s most costliest jerseys only behind Babe Ruth’s called shot jersey ($24 million), Michael Jordan’s NBA Finals jersey ($10.1 million) and Diego Maradona’s iconic 1986 World Cup shirt ($9.3 million).

This sale showcases the ongoing influence of Kobe Bryant legacy and sets another benchmark in the growing sector of sports memorabilia. 

Tags: NBA
Shamini

Recent Posts

Malaysia Job Market 2025–26: High-Demand Jobs, Salaries, and Career Opportunities

The future of Malaysia job market 2025-26 has high opportunities of the skilled professionals who are willing to extend their…

December 13, 2025

Mexico Gives Green Light to Steep Tariffs on Chinese and Foreign Goods

Mexico has accepted a new wave of steep tariffs on Chinese and other foreign goods, which is a big change…

December 13, 2025

Japan’s Growing Dementia Crisis and the High-Tech Race to Protect Its Elderly

Japan has a rapidly growing population with in excess of 28 per cent of its citizens being over the age…

December 13, 2025

Malaysia’s First Large-Scale Battery Storage System Inaugurated in Sabah, Borneo

With this clean-energy move, Malaysia has thus made a historic breakthrough as it is witnessed with the opening of the…

December 12, 2025

Endangered No More? World’s Rarest Ape Faces Extinction After Floods in Sumatra

Sumatra, which has a lot of different kinds of plants and animals and is famous for its beautiful jungles and…

December 12, 2025

Sri Lanka’s Tea Heartland in Ruins After Ditwah’s Fury

Sri Lanka's famous tea-growing area was devastated when Cyclone Ditwah went through the central highlands, destroying farms and forcing thousands…

December 12, 2025

This website uses cookies.

Read More