For hardcore basketball fans and collectors, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on timeless relics is nothing out of the ordinary.
A $2 million price tag, however, is certainly a steep price to pay for a simple jersey.
According to TMZ Sports, that’s the price a game-worn Kobe Bryant rookie jersey sold for at an SCP Auction.
Experts at SCP Auctions say it’s the only jersey ever photo-matched from Mamba’s rookie campaign — making it one of the most valuable pieces of NBA memorabilia to exist.
In fact, David Kohler, CEO/President at SCP, tells us it could ultimately fetch $5 MILLION.
Experts say Bryant, who entered the league straight out of high school, wore the specific jersey five times on April 11, April 13, April 17, May 8, and May 10, 1997.
The jersey is gold in color with purple trim and has the #8 on the front … along with the name Bryant stitched on the back. It has two patches at the bottom … one indicating Kob wore a size 44.
Photomatched game-used rookie Kobe jersey brought in $2.73 million last night at @SCPAuctions. pic.twitter.com/ZeVUwBEMI0
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 5, 2022
That’s one of the most expensive jerseys ever sold, but it’s certainly not the craziest thing to be displayed at an auction.
In August of last year, a pair of Michael Jordan’s game-worn underwear went up for several hundred dollars.
Unusual item shows definite use as this pair of underwear/compression shorts was worn by Michael Jordan with some loose threads evident at the seams. Originating from a family member of MJ’s “Last Dance” security guard John Michael Wozniak, it even has a dry cleaning tag inside with the last name “Wozniak” as well as a tag that says Michael Jordan, with the iconic last name on the waistband. About as close to greatness as one can get, this is just one of the many items in this auction that were given to Wozniak from MJ himself including suits, ties, belts, and jackets.
Bryant played for 20 years before retiring in 2016. He was an 18x All-Star, 15x All-NBA player, 5x champion, and first-ballot Hall of Famer.
He wore two different numbers during his career, No. 8 and No. 24. Amazingly, both numbers have been retired by the Lakers franchise.
