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New York: A shirt worn by American basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who died three years ago in a helicopter crash, was sold for $5.8 million Thursday at auction.
The sale, made by Sotheby’s in New York, set a new record for any Bryant lot, but it fell short of what the house estimated, which expected the bid to reach $7 million.
The largest amount paid for a Bryant item was $3.7 million for a shirt worn by the Los Angeles Lakers icon, who won five NBA titles with him.
Record numbers
Bryant is still far from the world record for the number 23 jersey worn by Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan in 1998 during his last season with the team, and was sold in September 2022 for $10.1 million.
Also last year, a shirt worn by the late Argentine soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona during his coronation in the 1986 World Cup Mexico was sold for $9.3 million.
Bryant wore the famous yellow and purple number 24 jersey, which was put up for sale by an unknown owner, in 25 games during which he scored 645 points in the 2007-2008 season when he was named MVP of the regular season, according to Sotheby’s.
Bryant also wore the shirt once morest the Denver Nuggets on April 23, 2008, so that the photographers immortalized a historic moment following the hysterical celebration of the Lakers star following a successful three-pointer, as he grabbed his shirt and let out a strong cry of victory.
This image has also been immortalized by graffiti artists all over the world, particularly in Los Angeles, where Bryant played his entire career.
The last time this shirt was put up for auction in 2013, it only fetched $18,678.
