Kobe Bryant auction items have sold for record-breaking, jaw-dropping prices, including an $800,000 pair of game-worn sneakers, a $5.8 million MVP jersey, and even his Staples Center locker for nearly $3 million.
Since his passing in 2020, collectors have turned Kobe memorabilia into seven-figure investments — proving that the Mamba mentality now dominates auction houses just as much as it once ruled the NBA.
Here are the craziest (and most expensive) Kobe Bryant auction items ever sold:
2007-08 MVP Season Jersey — $5.8 million
Rookie Season Game-Worn Jersey — $3.69 million
Staples Center Locker — $2.9 million
1996-97 Topps Chrome Rookie Card — $1.79 million
Game-Worn Sneakers — $800,000
2007-08 MVP Season Jersey — $5.8 Million
If there’s one piece of fabric that screams “Black Mamba,” it’s the jersey from Kobe’s MVP season.
Worn during 25 games in the 2007-08 season — the year he finally captured his long-awaited MVP award — this jersey became the most expensive Kobe collectible ever sold. Sotheby’s confirmed the jaw-dropping $5.8 million sale after intense global bidding.
It’s now one of the most expensive basketball jerseys in history.
For collectors, this wasn’t just a jersey. It was the uniform from the season Kobe proved he was more than just a scoring machine — he was the best player in the world.
Rookie Season Game-Worn Jersey — $3.69 Million
Before No. 24, there was No. 8.
This jersey dates back to Kobe’s 1996-97 rookie season, when he was still a teenage phenom fresh out of high school. It was worn during the Lakers’ playoff run — making it one of the earliest tangible pieces of his NBA legacy.
That history pushed the price to $3.69 million.
For fans, this is Kobe before the 5 championships, before the global icon status. This is teenage Kobe — fearless, raw, and already taking airballs in Utah like a future legend in the making.
Staples Center Locker — $2.9 Million
Yes, someone paid nearly $3 million for a locker. Not a mansion. Not a yacht. A locker. Imagine explaining that to someone in 2005.
Not a championship ring. Not a Finals jersey.
A locker.
Kobe’s actual Staples Center locker — complete with fixtures from his corner of the Lakers’ legendary arena — sold for $2.9 million. It became one of the most expensive arena fixtures ever auctioned.
Why? Because that locker witnessed 20 seasons, 5 titles, countless buzzer-beaters, and one 60-point farewell game.
To a die-hard collector, that’s priceless history.
1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor Rookie Card — $1.79 Million
If you were collecting cards in the late ’90s, you probably wish you had kept them in better condition.
One Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor rookie card — graded BGS 10 Black Label (basically perfect) — sold for $1.79 million.
Only a handful exist in that condition.
The combination of rarity, nostalgia, and Kobe’s global impact turned this shiny piece of cardboard into a near $2 million treasure.
Not bad for something that once sat in a binder next to Pokémon cards.
Game-Worn Sneakers — $800,000
One of the wildest sales? A pair of Kobe’s game-worn sneakers that fetched around $800,000.
They weren’t diamond-studded. They weren’t gold-plated.
They were worn.
That’s the point.
Collectors love “photo-matched” items — meaning the shoes can be verified as the exact pair worn during specific games. Add Kobe’s legacy to the equation, and suddenly a pair of sneakers becomes an investment-level asset.
In today’s sneaker culture — where limited drops already sell for thousands — Kobe’s actual game-worn kicks are on another planet.
Why Kobe Bryant Auction Items Keep Breaking Records
It’s not just about scarcity. It’s about legacy.
Kobe Bryant isn’t just an NBA Hall of Famer. He’s a cultural icon whose influence extends into fashion, storytelling, business, and global sports culture. His tragic passing in 2020 intensified demand for authenticated memorabilia, and the market hasn’t cooled since.
Auction houses know it. Collectors know it.
And every time a new Kobe item hits the block, the question isn’t “Will it sell?” — it’s “How high will it go?”
At this rate, don’t be surprised if the next record-breaking sale isn’t a jersey or sneakers, but something even more unexpected.
Because when it comes to the Black Mamba, even ordinary objects become extraordinary.
