The first game-worn Kobe Bryant number 24 jersey has attracted a bid of $600,000 in the run up to a major sports auction on September 30.
The gold LA Lakers jersey is so far the most valuable item in The Altitude: Important Sports Collectibles sale at Sotheby’s in New York on September 30.
Bryant wore the jersey onto the court at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on November 3, 2006, marking the first time Bryant had appeared in a No. 24 uniform after winning three NBA titles in his No. 8.
The Seattle Supersonics were on the end of a beating that night, as Bryant, recovering from knee surgery, scored 23 points, well below his average for the season as his injury recovery concluded.
The jersey is signed, with an inscription, “First 24”. He had worn the same number in middle school.
Sotheby’s say: “Collectors and NBA historians now view the debut of No. 24 as a pivotal turning point, the launch of the second act that brought two more championships, back-to-back Finals MVP awards, and ultimately a league-wide legacy rivaled by few in basketball history.”
Alongside the Bryant jersey and for sale with estimate only available on request, is a Tom Brady Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed jersey with a current bid of $65,000.
A Lakers jersey worn by Jerry West in the 1965 and 1966 NBA Finals has a $400,000 bid. Wilt Chamberlain’s Lakers shirt from the 1969 NBA Finals attracts a $280,000 bid.
Also listed are football shirts, sports trading cards, and a Wayne Gretzky ice hockey stick.
Sports memorabilia is enjoying a boom period. Last year, a Babe Ruth matchworn shirt sold for over $24 million. A card showing Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan realised $12.9 million in August 2025.
This sale is running alongside a single lot auction listing just Wayne Gretzky’s final-game jersey, which currently has a $200,000 bid that it will surely surpass on sale day.
