When Kobe Bryant made his NBA debut with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, his high school jersey No. 24 was taken by George McCloud, so the 18-year-old rookie settled for No. 8.
Beginning in the 2006-07 season, Bryant switched to No. 24, a number he would wear for the remainder of his career.
Bryant first wore the No. 24 jersey on November 3, 2006, scoring 23 points in a victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.
Upper Deck Authenticated, which was in contract with Bryant at the time, sold that first No. 24 jersey for $10,875 on eBay within two weeks of the game, according to Sports Collectors Daily.
That jersey will now return to the auction block, this time at Sotheby’s, carrying an estimate in excess of $1 million.
“This jersey is not merely a relic of a single night, but a symbolic artifact from a career that bridged eras and identities,” Sotheby’s Brendan Hawkes said in a statement. “Signed and inscribed to forever link it to the debut of No. 24, it stands as one of the most culturally and historically significant Kobe Bryant jerseys to ever surface — the tangible starting point of a chapter that would help define his legend.”
In the years since the jersey sold on eBay — UDA also sold the sneakers worn that game ($6,652) during the auction — the market for Bryant memorabilia has exploded, particularly following his death in 2020.
Sotheby’s sold Bryant’s NBA debut jersey for a little more than $7 million in April, becoming the second-most expensive NBA jersey in history. That same jersey had sold for just $115,242 in 2013.
The first No. 24 jersey will be sold as part of the “Legends of Sport” auction Sept. 30.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.