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A game-worn Kobe Bryant rookie jersey will head to an online auction on May 18, and it’s reportedly estimated to fetch between $3 million and $5 million. Bryant wore the yellow No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers jersey during two regular season wins and two Western Conference semifinal games against the Utah Jazz.
SCP Auctions will allow potential buyers to view the jersey in Laguna Niguel, Calif. by appointment only. The auction is set to end on June 4.
While the $3 million to $5 million estimate may seem lofty, history suggests it isn’t far-fetched. Last year, another signed jersey from Bryant’s 1996-97 rookie season sold for $3.69 million, the most ever for a basketball jersey.
“We feel this could bring a record for any basketball jersey,” SCP Auctions president David Kohler told the AP.
The most expensive jersey from any sport was a Babe Ruth game-worn New York Yankees jersey from 1920. That jersey sold for $4,415,658 in 2012.
Kohler has firsthand knowledge of Bryant memorabilia value. Earlier this year, he paid $277,000 for the shooting shirt the Hall of Famer and five-time NBA champion wore during warmups before his legendary 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
