Text size
The locker room closet that Kobe Bryant used at the old Staples Center for much of his legendary NBA career sold for $2.9 million Friday in New York during an auction of rare sports memorabilia at Sotheby’s.
The price of the locker at the Los Angeles Lakers stadium is almost double the $1.5 million it was estimated to fetch.
Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star, died in a helicopter crash in 2020 at age 41. He spent his entire NBA career, from 1996 to 2016, with the Lakers.
A maintenance worker at the Staples Center, now called Crypto.com Arena, saved the cabinet from being thrown away in 2018 during renovations, according to Sotheby’s. An American collector later acquired the piece.
“Today’s price underlines not only Kobe’s enduring legacy, but also the exceptional character of this unique piece,” said Brahm Wachter, Head of Modern Collectibles at Sotheby’s, of the sale price achieved after 19 bids.
The Sotheby’s sale also featured memorabilia from sports icons such as Diego Armando Maradona, Michael Jordan and Reggie Jackson, as well as items from contemporary stars such as Rafael Nadal and Stephen Curry.
gw/des/cl/dga
