The championship-clinching basketball used during Kobe Bryant’s first NBA title in 2000, signed by multiple members of the championship team including Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, sold for a record $508,000 at Sotheby's on Thursday night.
The price obliterated the previous record for a championship ball, the $107,950 for the Oklahoma City Thunder's clincher from June.
There has been an unquenchable thirst for all things relating to Bryant among high-end collectors, especially at Sotheby’s, which over the past few years has handled multiple record-breaking auctions of Bryant jerseys (led by the $7 million sale of his rookie debut gamer), sneakers and more.
The same auction also included the championship-clinching ball from 2001, also signed by 13 Lakers, which sold for $317,500 (which also smashed the previous record).
Additionally, a jersey worn by Bryant during two games of the 2010 NBA playoffs — a year which would end in a title for Bryant and the Lakers, is up for bidding, currently sitting at $200,000 on 45 bids and no reserve.
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Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.