Athlete killed in helicopter accident in 2020 wore uniform in the 1996/1997 season, his 1st at Lakers
A shirt worn by the NBA star Kobe Bryant (1978-2020) was auctioned at the US Auction House for $ 7 million (about $ 39 million in the current conversion) on Thursday (24.br.2025).
Kobe, who died at the age of 41 in a helicopter accident in January 2020, wore his shirt on his pre-season debuts and NBA season (National Basketball Association) in 1996/1997 with Los Angeles Lakers.
The clothing was the 4th most expensive used sports shirt to be auctioned, behind:
- NY YANKEES SHIRT USED BY Babe Ruth (), considered the greatest player of all time of baseball;
- Chicago Bulls shirt used by Michael Jordan in the 1998 NBA finals ();
- Argentina selection shirt used by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup ().
In 20 years at the NBA with Lakers, Kobe Bryant won 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010), an MVP (2008) award and 2 MVP of the finals (2009 and 2010) trophies. It also received 11 nominations for the NBA selection, 9 nominations for the defense selection and 18 for All-Star Games, the best game in the league.
To certify the authenticity of the shirt, images of 7 games of his debut season were compared in 1996/1997.
