Even when an NBA legend dies, their legacy still lives on. Iconic moments from their career, photos, stories from teammates, and memorabilia are all ways the story of a player is told. Today, an unusual piece of memorabilia carrying on a story was sold at an auction: Kobe Bryant‘s locker from Staple Center, the final bid totaling $2.9 million.
The home locker that Kobe Bryant used has sold for a record-setting $2.9 million, the auction house that brokered the sale said Friday.
According to Sotheby’s, it’s the most valuable sports locker to ever sell at auction. https://t.co/t0YylbVnIG
— ESPN (@espn) August 3, 2024
NBA Legend’s Locker Sold for Millions
At face value, it seems ludicrous for any person to spend so much money on a sports locker. The locker itself is nice, but it’s not anything special either. What makes it worth almost $3 million is the fact that Bryant used this locker from the 2003-04 season through his last with the Lakers.
Bryant’s locker wasn’t expected to sell for as much as it did. While the locker’s value was always high, the highest bid with about 20 minutes left in the auction was $750,000. However, four bidders then pushed the value up to just under $3 million before time expired. The expensive price tag makes it the most valuable sports locker sold, and the third most valuable Bryant memorabilia piece. The two pieces more valuable are game-worn, autographed Bryant jerseys from his rookie season and his 2007-08 MVP campaign.
While the locker isn’t able to tell stories, it’s lived through some of the most electric parts of Bryant’s career. He started using the locker as the Lakers were attempting to assemble a superteam with Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Notably, this was also the last year Kobe played with Shaquille O’Neal. It would later see Bryant play solo for a while. Bryant averaged an absurd amount of points in the mid-2000s. Including a 35.4 ppg season in 2005-06 and his iconic 81-point game in the same season.
Bryant’s locker was there when he teamed up with Pau Gasol and won back-to-back championships. It was there when Bryant formed another superteam with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. And, it was there before the final game of his career, when he dropped 60 points in a win against the Utah Jazz. The locker is living history.
Bryant’s Locker and Legacy
The newly-unveiled Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant statue outside of https://t.co/rqCpumuUGv Arena: pic.twitter.com/HDh4IFlbAl
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) August 2, 2024
The locker isn’t the only way Bryant will be remembered by the public. Aside from the many memories he made with teammates, NBA fans across the globe, and many people he met, a statue has just been unveiled of Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. The statue is on display outside of Crypto.com arena and shows the two embracing. The last statue of Bryant unveiled proved to be a bit of a disaster, with names misspelled on the box score of players in Bryant’s 81-point game. This one was received much better, however, showing Bryant’s love for his family and commitment to women’s sports.
