Bryant’s rookie jersey could fetch $3-5M at auction

A jersey worn by Kobe Bryant in his rookie season, including two playoff games, will be sold at auction, The Associated Press reported.

The jersey from the 1996-97 season could fetch between $3 million and $5 million in an online auction that begins May 18, David Kohler of SCP Auctions said Saturday.

“We feel this could bring a record for any basketball jersey,” he said.

Kohler said the seller, who wants to remain anonymous, has had the jersey for 25 years.

The seller approached Kohler after seeing another of Bryant’s rookie jerseys went for $3.69 million last year. That autographed, yellow game-worn jersey fetched the highest price ever for a basketball jersey.

Also last year, a rookie trading card of Bryant’s sold for $1.8 million. Neither of the 2021 sales were conducted by SCP Auctions.

The upcoming auction features the No. 8 jersey Bryant wore for the Los Angeles Lakers in regular-season wins at the old Forum on April 13, 1997, against Utah and April 17, 1997, against Sacramento.

He donned the same jersey at home on May 8 and May 10 in the Western Conference semifinals against Utah. The Lakers won the first game, with Bryant scoring 19 points. They lost the second game in which he had nine points. They went on to lose the series, 4-1, to conclude Bryant’s rookie year.

The jersey’s authenticity has been verified by independent authenticators, who photomatched it, Kohler said. That process involves examining an item’s unique characteristics. It was also matched to a 1997 trading card featuring Bryant wearing the jersey. It features a logo representing the NBA’S 50th anniversary.

Kohler said the market for Bryant memorabilia remains “very, very strong” two years after his death.

“As long as it’s the real stuff,” Kohler said. “He’s beloved.”

Bryant was killed on Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash that also took the lives of his 13-yearold daughter Gianna and seven others.

Trivia question

Happy birthday to former major leaguer Scooter Gennett, who turns 32 today. Gennett was the 11th player to hit four homers in one game. One player has done it since. Who was it?

They said it • Tweet from Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News on

Georgia’s defensive coordinator moving west to Oregon: “Dan Lanning’s former defense had more first-round picks than Dan Lanning’s new conference.”

From Charles Barkley ,to the Dan Patrick Show, on fellow TNT host Shaquille O’neal’s weight: “If he gets on the scale it’s gonna be saying, ‘One person at a time, please.’ ”

From Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, on the team’s no-hitter Friday during the ninth inning: “You get this, like, supertingly feeling of excitement. You’re like, I hope this is it, I hope he doesn’t hit a broken-bat duck fart over somebody’s head or anything. You’re just praying, like, please, please, please let this happen.”

Trivia answer

While with Arizona, J.D. Martinez hit four homers against the Dodgers on Sept. 4, 2017, just under three months after when Gennett did it for Cincy.