Kobe Bryant's memorabilia could break records as final road NBA jersey expected to fetch over $500,000
The late NBA great Kobe Bryant’s memorabilia has hit the auction block and is expected to break records, with his final road game uniform alone expected to fetch reportedly over $500,000.
TMZ reported on the Black Mamba merchandise that SCP Auctions has put up for the event, which began on Nov. 15 and ends on Dec. 2. It includes the five-time NBA champion’s final road game jersey, shorts and shoes, which he used on April 11, 2016 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Chesapeake Bay Arena in Oklahoma City.
The Lakers lost to the Thunder, 112-79, in the said game. Kobe Bryant, suffering from shoulder soreness before the game, finished the game with 13 points.
The memorabilia on offer features the 4XL Adidas purple mesh official NBA jersey, with Bryant's iconic number 24 packaged with the 3XL Adidas Climacool shorts. As per TMZ, the shorts have a small microphone pocket so he could be mic’d up while playing.
The items have been authenticated by industry leaders Resolution Photomatching and Sports Investors.
Bryant’s sized-14 Nike Kobe 11 Elite Lows in the OKC game are also being auctioned and are expected to fetch at least $100,000.
The auction for the Kobe Bryant final road game memorabilia ends on December 2.
Bryant played for 20 years in the NBA, all with the Lakers, where he won all of his NBA titles. He was an 18-time All-Star, one-time league MVP, two-time finals MVP, two-time scoring champion and fourth in the NBA all-time scoring list (33,643 points).
He tragically passed away in January 2020 at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna. Bryant was posthumously enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Kobe Bryant ended NBA career on a tear
NBA legend Kobe Bryant had a lot of memorable moments during his playing career and he made sure he gave the fans one more serving of it in his final game back in 2016.
Playing the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016, “Black Mamba” dropped 60 points in their come-from-behind victory, to give his storied career an epic ending.
Bryant scored his team’s final 17 points as they overtook the Jazz to win 101-96.
"It's hard to believe that it happened this way. I'm still in shock about it," said Bryant following the game as per ESPN.
It was the sixth time in his career when Bryant had scored 60 points or more in his illustrious career. More importantly, it further solidified his standing as one of the true legends of the game.