Kobe Bryant forever.
As reported on NBA, a lucky (wealthy) fan of Kobe purchased a jersey the late legend wore. The buyer and seller both wanted to remain anonymous, the article reports. The seller had the Mamba jersey for 25 years and sold it for $2.73 million.
The purchase took place at SCP Auctions. The jersey is from Kobe’s rookie season during his first playoff game during the 1996-1997 NBA playoff series. SCP Auctions released a statement:
“Twenty-five years after the Mamba’s playoff debut, the only jersey ever photo matched to his 1996-97 rookie season playoff run is presented here.” The statement goes on to say, “The incredible jersey has been conclusively [photo matched] to five games from the Mamba’s rookie campaign, including two playoff games. Kobe donned the signature purple and gold threads of this jersey on April 11, April 13, April 17, May 8, and May 10, 1997.”
During the May 8, 1997 game, Kobe reportedly scored 19 points in under nine minutes. During the May 10 game, he scored nine points in 28 minutes after being taken off the bench, The Jasmine Brand points out. They also reported, “during his rookie season, he averaged at least 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 40 percent shooting from the field.”
A Kobe Bryant game-worn jersey from 1997 fetched $2.735 million at auction over the weekend. https://t.co/b8vbtxaXWC
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 6, 2022
In one of the most tragic deaths in the history of a celebrity, Kobe died on January 26, 2020, in a California helicopter crash that also took the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others.
Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, was recently spotted at Disney Day with her youngest daughters Bianka, 5, and Capri, 2. Last month, the Bryant family’s first daughter, Natalia, 19, said she’s “loving” college during an interview with ET last month. She said, “It was everything I expected and honestly more.”
During a 2021 interview with People, Vanessa opened up about grieving. She spoke about how her daughters keep her going. She said, “This pain is unimaginable. You just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn’t going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me… My girls help me smile through the pain. They give me strength.”
Our hearts continue to be with the Bryant family and all the victims.