Kobe Bryant’s Lakers jerseys, sneakers to be put up for auction
Kobe Bryant’s Lakers jerseys and his cement-cast handprints are heading to the auction block in April.
Julien’s Auctions said Thursday that it’s featuring some of Bryant’s memorabilia in its annual auction, called “Sports Legends.” The announcement of the auction comes more than a month after the basketball star died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers.
Taking place April 30 with more than 300 items, the auction will be held live in Beverly Hills and also online. In addition to a medal from the 2002 FIFA World Cup series, a silver medal from the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics and more artifacts from baseball, hockey and other sports, the highlight is a collection of Bryant-related items.
A spokeswoman for Julien’s Auctions said Thursday that the consignor is a collector from Kentucky who doesn’t want to be identified.
Among the offerings are Bryant’s full uniform that he wore in a game during the 1999-2000 NBA finals. Bearing No. 8, the jersey is inscribed with Bryant’s signature and stitched with a black band on the left shoulder in remembrance of Wilt Chamberlain, who died in 1999.
There are also a signed No. 24 jersey that Bryant wore during the 2006-07 season; a pair of black-and-white Adidas game shoes, also signed; and a basketball signed by him and his teammates from the 2009-10 season, including Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Derek Fisher and Ron Artest, who now goes by the name of Metta World Peace.
One of the most unconventional mementos from a pro athlete is Bryant’s handprints cast in concrete in 2011 at what’s now called TCL Chinese Theatre. As the first athlete who cast his prints in a tribute typically reserved for Hollywood stars, the gray block is tangible proof of how Bryant has transcended the world of sports. In 2017, the Lakers retired his 8 and 24 jersey numbers.
A year later, Bryant won an Academy Award for his animated short film, “Dear Basketball.”
The handprint block and No. 24 jersey are each estimated to fetch at least $4,000. The estimates for the Adidas sneakers and signed basketball start at $2,000 per item. Bryant’s No. 8 uniform is estimated to garner more than $10,000.
Still, Bryant’s gear isn’t expected to be the biggest earner for the auction house. A Jules Rimet replica trophy presented to Brazilian soccer player Marco Antônio Feliciano during the 1970 World Cup is expected to sell for more than $30,000.
The items to be auctioned in “Sports Legends” will be on display in a public exhibition starting April 27.
“Sports Legends” at Julien’s Auctions, 257 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 836-1818, juliensauctions.com
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