Kobe Bryant No. 8 Lakers jersey fetches huge money at auction
· Yahoo Sports
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A game-worn No. 8 Kobe Bryant jersey from the 2003-2004 season sold for $1.83 million at The Realest on Sunday, Nov. 8. This is the highest sale of a non-rookie jersey from the Los Angeles Lakers star before he switched to No. 24. It also lands among the top-five highest public auction sales of Bryant's NBA jerseys.
The jersey is autographed and was certified by The Realest's authentication program, which utilizes photo-matching. Its only previous owner purchased the jersey with a certificate of authenticity directly from the Lakers via a charity auction in 2017 before the NBA icon passed away.
The jersey is believed to have been worn in 17 games that season – with a record of 16-1, including 8-0 in the playoffs – when the five-time champion starred alongside Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant wore it for his 31-point, 10-assist double-double in Game 5 of the first round to eliminate the Houston Rockets, for his 42-point performance in Game 4 of the conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs and in Game 6 of the next series against the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves to win the Western Conference finals.
The jersey has an NBA Finals patch and is the only No. 8 jersey of Bryant's to come to auction with such a detail. It could not be proven if Bryant wore it the NBA Finals, where the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games.
The highest-selling Bryant jersey was the one from his NBA debut in 1996. It sold in April of 2025 for $7 million.
Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA all with the Lakers. He was drafted No. 13 overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets out of Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia and was traded to Los Angeles that day. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers, was named Finals MVP for two of the titles and was named an All-Star 18 times.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January of 2020 at the age of 41 with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Last month, The Realest auctioned off a Shohei Ohtani jersey from the 2025 Tokyo Series for $2,055,700. It was the most expensive jersey worn by a baseball player in the 21st century.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kobe Bryant No. 8 Lakers jersey fetches huge money at auction