Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant's First-Ever Jerseys Up For Sale

Source: Sotheby’s / Sotheby’s

While debating NBA GOATs, fans always toss around names like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, who recently became the first to join the 50,000-point club.

But one thing that’s not up for debate is how much those players’ game-worn jerseys are coveted in the sports world. So now that Jordan and Bryant’s game-worn jerseys from their first NBA games are up for auction, expect them to fetch a pretty penny.

Sotheby’s predicts that each should go for $10 million to some sports memorabilia junky with some deep pockets. But if either surpasses that, it could become the highest sale of any rookie memorabilia in sports history, a crown currently held by a Mickey Mantle card that sold for $12.6 million in 2022.

“Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant’s first NBA career jerseys are not just memorabilia; they are enduring symbols of the ambition, skill, and willpower that defined their legendary careers,” Brahm Wachter, head of modern collectibles at Sotheby’s, told CNN. “They are as rare as they come.”

Source: Sotheby’s / Sotheby’s

The Black Mamba‘s Champion-branded jersey is from his Los Angeles Lakers debut in 1996, in a game against the Kevin Garnett-led Minnesota Timberwolves. At the time, he was the youngest NBA player in league history, at just 18 years old and 72 days, and he missed the one shot he took.

Source: Sotheby’s / Sotheby’s

His Airness debut was a bit more successful. He stepped on the court for the first time in 1984 and scored 16 points at the now-defunct Chicago Stadium. But the jersey predates the game, is actually from a preseason debut, and includes his autograph across the chest, which could make it even more valuable.

Thanks to fakes and frauds, Sotheby’s enlisted the help of sports memorabilia authenticating company MeiGrey to ensure that both jerseys are legit by painstakingly examining the wear pattern and cross-referencing photos.

Small details on Jordan’s Rawlings jersey, like dark marks around the numbers and name on the back, are consistent with old patches being removed and repurposed for Jordan, which was a common practice back then. The company examined 140 jerseys allegedly belonging to Jordan but could only confidently authenticate four.

Even if the jerseys are way out of your budget, you can still check them out beginning March 21 at Sotheby’s New York.