SPORTS Iconic Kobe Bryant jersey sells for record $5.8 million at auction

According to auction house Sotheby's New York, a signed jersey from late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's lone MVP season has sold for more than $5.8 million. It now ranks as the second-most valuable basketball jersey ever auctioned and the most value Bryant item ever to be sold at auction.

During his lone MVP run in 2007–08, Bryant wore the iconic No. 24 jersey for a number of contests, according to Sotheby's, including five preseason contests, 14 regular season contests, and six playoff contests.

Many current items are only worn for a single game, making long-term, heavy-wear sports relics rare in the collecting world, according to Sotheby's. "In this jersey, Kobe Bryant scored 645 points."

Before going up for auction in New York City, Kobe Bryant's game-worn and signed No. 24 Los Angeles Lakers jersey from the 2007–2008 NBA season, when he won MVP honors, is seen. Feb. 1, 2023.

In a Sotheby's auction last September, a jersey that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan wore during Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals brought in more than $10 million. The only basketball jersey to sell for more than Bryant's is this one.

According to Sotheby's, the jersey that the late basketball player wore for 25 of his games during the 2007–2008 season is currently the most expensive Kobe Bryant item ever to be sold at auction and the second most valuable jersey ever.

A game-used and autographed basketball jersey from the 1996–1997 season formerly held the record for any item of Kobe Bryant sports memorabilia sold at $3.7 million in 2021.

Numerous murals in California and all over the world depict Bryant wearing the recognizable purple-and-gold Lakers uniform. Bryant spent all 20 years of his NBA career with the Lakers, helping them win five championships.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people perished on the morning of January 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed close to Los Angeles in dense fog.

Credit; TRE'VAUGHN HOWARD @Yahoo Sports News