As the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the second of three statues dedicated to Kobe Bryant, mementos of his storied career have never been more valuable. Today, the warmup jacket he wore at his farewell game was auctioned at $336,000. Yet that’s nowhere near the top three most expensive Kobe Bryant memorabilia to ever be on the chopping block. Not even the copy of his championship ring auctioned earlier this year came close.

The sale of one of his biggest memorabilia last week pushed his 2013 jersey out of the third spot. But no other Black Mamba memento has come closer to the top 2 yet.

#1 Kobe Bryant’s MVP Jersey – $5.8 million

Still untouchable at the top spot is the #24 Lakers jersey from the 2007-08 season, also known as Kobe’s only MVP season. It’s hard to believe that the 5x champion with 18 All-Star appearances and two Finals MVP wins across a 20-year career had only one MVP year. Yet it makes this jersey he wore for 25 games a justifiably valuable item.

During his MVP season, Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, while leading his Lakers to the franchise’s first Finals appearance since the departure of Shaquille O’Neal. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in the Finals, ruining Bryant’s legendary year in which he also won an Olympic Gold.

Sotheby’s sold the jersey at a record-breaking $5.8 million on February 8, 2023. The significance of that day is not missable. It’s a year before the Mamba Day, when Bryant’s first statue was unveiled at Staples Center.

#2 Kobe Bryant’s signed rookie jersey – $3.69 million

Until 2023, the most expensive memorabilia was his very first Lakers jersey. Jerry West masterfully pulled the strings to acquire Shaquille O’Neal from Orlando and draft Kobe Bryant straight out of high school in 1996. He came via Charlotte but would suit up for the Lakers wearing #8.

While Bryant famously struggled in his rookie year, the signs were always there. The Black Mamba even won the Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie. Without this difficult season, it’s tough to imagine the killer that he eventually went on to become.

The autographed game-worn jersey was on Goldin Auction’s block at a starting bid of $100,000 in May 2021. The gavel hit at $3.69 million and was the most expensive of Bryant’s auctioned jerseys for two years.

#3 Kobe Bryant’s Staples Center locker – $2.9 million

Bryant’s 2012-13 jersey when he tore his ACL sold for $1.2 million in June 2024. It was the third most expensive memento of the Black Mamba for less than two months. The day the Lakers unveiled the monument dedicated to Kobe and Gianna, his locker from Staples Center closed for $2.9 million.

It outbid every item at the Sotheby’s auction, including Mickey Mantle’s batting helmet, Michael Schumacher’s suit, and Patrick Ewing’s signed jersey from the 1992 Dream Team. The locker, which was Bryant’s staging area from 2003 till he retired in 2016, was valued at over $1.5 million. It was, however, stuck at $750,000 five minutes before closing. It was a while before an unnamed buyer placed a bid of $2.88 million. The winner also got a scrapbook of photos from the consigner and a poster of Bryant in the locker at his final game.

This is only the surface of the desire to own a part of Kobe’s legacy. And there’s a high chance that any of his memorabilia in the future would dethrone these three from their spots.