Kobe Bryant's game-used shoes from his first NBA start sold for $240,000 at SCP Auctions on Saturday night.
The sale marked the third time the sneakers have sold in the last two years — but the result was dramatically different thanks to a new photo-match, which authenticated them to the superstar's first game in the Lakers' starting lineup.
Originally sold at Heritage for $28,800 in November 2023, the lot description for the pair mentioned an apparent match to an undated image against the Mavericks. The sneakers originated from a storage unit once owned by NBA guard Derek Harper, who played for the Mavericks during that season in 1996-97.
The same sneakers sold for a slight increase of $34,160 at Goldin in November 2024. Goldin similarly reported the pair was accompanied by an apparent match, but wrote in its lot description, “Sports Investors Authentication have made an apparent photo-match of the shoes to a Lakers road game against the Dallas Mavericks; the match has been made to a Getty image (No. 75045116) likely taken on Jan. 28, 1997.”
What both Heritage and Goldin neglected to mention was the image SIA referenced happened to be Bryant’s first NBA start.
Now, less than nine months later, those same sneakers sold for a massive increase at SCP.
SIA has since been able to provide a full match to that game, in which an 18-year-old Bryant became the youngest player to start an NBA game.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.