Since Kobe Bryant‘s passing in January 2020, his memorabilia and signature shoes have skyrocketed in pricing as fans seek to acquire items worn or created by the Lakers legend. And with the latest sale of a Kobe-themed item, the love for the late player is showing no signs of slowing down.
As reported by TMZ Sports, Kobe Bryant’s rookie Los Angeles Lakers Jersey worn during the 1997 NBA Playoffs has sold for $2.74 million at an auction. The jersey is the first piece of memorabilia available from his earliest appearance in the post-season tournament thus far.
For the people unaware of this jersey’s significance, the listing for the item states it had been worn “at least five times and twice during the aforementioned playoff series” in which Bryant and the Lakers were brutally bounced in the conference semifinals by a physical Utah Jazz team.
As the story goes, Bryant played horribly, and, in true Black Mamba fashion, used the loss as one of the many driving forces to becoming the 5-time NBA champion the world fell in love with.
TMZ Sports revealed that twenty-six people bid on the item, but it wasn’t revealed who won the coveted artifact.
While the $2.74 million sale of Bryant’s rookie playoff jersey was astronomical, the prices will only continue to rise with each subsequent auction, shattering records in the process. The legend of the Black Mamba continues.