Kobe jersey from Lakers rookie debut sells for $7M

The jersey Kobe Bryant wore during his preseason and regular-season debut with the Los Angeles Lakers was auctioned off for $7 million Thursday at Sotheby's.

The No. 8 Lakers jersey set a record for Bryant memorabilia, eclipsing a game-worn and signed jersey from the Hall of Famer's 2007-08 MVP season that sold for $5.8 million, according to ESPN's Dan Hajducky.

"Debut games are truly one-of-a-kind moments in an athlete's career," Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of modern collectibles, said in a statement. "They mark the nascency of an extraordinary journey, and for iconic athletes like Kobe Bryant, these milestones hold even more significance as they represent a singular moment in time that can never be replicated."

Bryant's jersey is the fourth-most expensive game-worn sports jersey sold at auction behind Babe Ruth's $24-million "called shot" jersey, Michael Jordan's $10.1 million "Last Dance" jersey, and Diego Maradona's $9.3 million jersey from the 1986 World Cup.

In addition to Bryant's preseason Lakers debut Oct. 16, 1996, and regular-season debut Nov. 3, 1996, the jersey was photo-matched to his NBA media day appearance and four other games from his rookie campaign.

Bryant, the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 71 games as a rookie.