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The LA Lakers' iconic number '24' shirt in the 2007-2008 season, has become one of the most expensive shirts in history.
Kobe Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest legends in the history of the NBA.
The former Los Angeles Lakers forward, who died tragically as a result of a helicopter accident in January 2020, won the affection of fans in the world of basketball courtesy of his period performances and unrivalled sportsmanship that will always be remembered by lovers of the game.
And now one of one Black Mamba’s iconic jerseys have been auctioned for a staggering fee that has shattered records - a true testament to just how much influence he continues to be even in death.
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Kobe Bryant's 2007/08 MVP shirt auctioned for $5.8 million
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An auction house, under the name of Sotheby's, had put up for sale one of the shirts of the Lakers legend.
It was the shirt he used for 25 games in the 2007-2008 season, the same one in which he was named MVP in that season.
"This jersey has infiltrated our global popular culture in a way that perhaps no other sports device has done before, and has become an icon and synonym of the image of Kobe Bryant," the company said in the presentation of the bid via Barrons.
However, a person, whose identity is still unknown, eventually won the auction having made the largest bid after putting $5.84 million (N4,380,000,000) on the table.
An amount that has now placed the shirt as the most expensive garment of the illustrious player.
This shirt is installed on the podium of the highest sales in history, only behind the one worn by Michael Jordan ($10.1 million) in the 1998 NBA finals and Maradona's ($9.28 million) at the 86 World Cup.
Who is Kobe Bryant?
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Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player who played as shooting guard.
The forward spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and scorers of all time.
Bryant won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring.
He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
On January 26, 2020, Bryant was reported to have tied in a tragic crash after a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter departed from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, with nine people aboard, including himself, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six family friends, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
The group were on their way to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County for a basketball game at Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, before the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and began burning.
Bryant, his daughter, and the other seven occupants were all killed on impact.
On February 7, Bryant and his daughter were buried in a private funeral in Pacific View Memorial Park in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, California.
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