Everything started at Lower Merion High School for Kobe Bryant.
On Friday, Sotheby’s reported that one of Bryant’s game-worn No. 33 jerseys sold for a record-breaking $2.2 million, making it the most expensive high school jersey ever sold at an auction.
“This Lower Merion jersey is where Kobe’s story starts, before the rings, the records, and the Mamba Mentality, when he was just a kid in a gym outworking everyone. This jersey symbolizes that greatness has a beginning, and this jersey was there for it,” reads the description from Sotheby’s.
This is not the first time the jersey has been moved, as it was sold in 2013 for $51,400.
The report of the jersey read that the item had 26 bids, with seven different bidders competing for the highly sought-after item.
Bryant’s jersey sale eclipsed LeBron James’ St. Vincent-St. Mary jersey, which was worn during his infamous 2002 Sports Illustrated “The Chosen One” cover and sold in 2024 for $1.3 million.
Sotheby’s reported that Bryant wore the sold jersey during his junior season, in a March 1995 matchup against Hazleton, Pa., Area.
The jersey goes into the long list of highly coveted memorabilia from Bryant. The most expensive piece was a 2007-2008 dual-autograph card from Upper Deck that features Bryant and Michael Jordan, which sold for $12.6 million in August 2022.
Bryant’s Lower Merion jersey is the only basketball uniform he’s worn that didn’t have the words “Lakers” or “Los Angeles” across the chest, as he entered the NBA draft immediately after finishing high school.
Bryant spent the entirety of his 20-year career with Los Angeles and is regarded as not only one of the greatest Lakers ever, but one of the best basketball players of all time.
His career finished with him having five NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, one-time league MVP, and an 18-time All-Star selection.
In 2017, the Lakers retired both Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 jersey numbers, making him the only player in the NBA to have two numbers retired by a team.
A year after he tragically died in 2020, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
