Topline
The shirt worn by late basketball star Kobe Bryant before his historic 2006 game in which he scored 81 points went up for an auction Tuesday that allows bids in cryptocurrency.
Key Facts
Bryant warmed up in the shooting shirt before helping the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Toronto Raptors in a game during which he scored the second most points in a single game in NBA history and became only the second player to score more than 80 points in a game since 1962.
It’s believed to be the only item worn by Bryant during the game to ever be publicly sold, auction house Sotheby’s said—his uniform was framed and displayed at the Bryant family home, and the shoes Bryant wore are part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame collection.
Bids will start at $200,000 Tuesday through February 22 online, and besides fiat currencies, Sotheby’s will also accept ether, bitcoin and USD coins for the transaction, the auction house said.
The shirt will come with a corresponding NFT designed by Karvin Cheung—a designer behind the Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Basketball, a line of high-end sports cards—influenced by Cheung’s Chinese heritage and incorporating the significance of the number 8 in Chinese culture.
Tangent
Sports memorabilia, NFTs and purchases made with cryptocurrency and Chinese customers all represent growing opportunities for auction houses. In October, a pair of sneakers worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan during his rookie NBA season sold for $1.5 million at auction to become the most expensive sneakers ever publicly sold. The seven-figure price tag broke the record for the previously most expensive pair, also worn by Jordan that sold for $615,000 the year before. Major auction houses are accepting cryptocurrency as investing in the tokens, backed up by blockchain, has become more mainstream. It runs parallel with the rise of NFTs, digital works of art built on the blockchain, which exploded in popularity last year. An NFT sold for an unprecedented $69.3 million in March and was paid for with ether, according to the New York Times. The sum was enough to make the artist, Beeple, the third most valuable artist alive after David Hockney and Jeff Koons. In 2020, China surpassed the U.S. to become the world’s largest art market, according to an annual report from Art Basel.
Key Background
Bryant died in a January 2020 helicopter crash that also took the life of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers. Bryant’s 81 points falls short only of the 100 points Wilt Chamberlain scored during a 1968 game, which remains the NBA record.
Further Reading
Kobe Bryant’s $600 Million Fortune: How He Won On—And Off—The Court (Forbes)
Sotheby’s Auctions Rare Michael Jordan Nike Sneakers For $1.5 Million (Forbes)
Record-Breaking Sneakers: Michael Jordan’s Shoes Sell For $615,000 (Forbes)
Most Expensive Basketball Card Ever: LeBron James Rookie Card Sells For $5.2 Million (Forbes)
