Kobe Bryant's final-game Lakers #24 jersey falls way short of Michael Jordan's Bulls jersey in sale: Looking at other merchandise sold

Los Angeles Lakers v Oklahoma City Thunder
Kobe Bryant's last game-worn jersey sold at an auction.

A lucky fan now has a special Kobe Bryant jersey in a recent auction that featured rare LA Lakers memorabilia. Despite being auctioned off lately, it's still short of Michael Jordan's "Last Dance" jersey, which was sold for $10.1 million. That remains the most expensive game-worn sports memorabilia ever bought at an auction.

Bryant's last road game jersey was recently auctioned off for $486,000. The amount spent didn't even come close to Jordan's famous jersey. The jersey was proven to be the original after being verified through photo documents. It was worn by the Black Mamba against the OKC Thunder on April 11, 2016.

The jersey wasn't alone as it was part of a package that featured the entire on-court outfit for Bryant. A pair of Kobe shoes and game-worn shorts were all part of the auction.

Bryant's 3XL Adidas Climacool shorts and jersey were both sold for $366,967. The size 14 Nike Kobe 11 Elite Lows was sold for $118,230. Together, all the items are almost worth half a million. Details of the buyer are unknown.

It was the second-to-the-last game of Bryant's career with the Lakers. He had 13 points and a steal. He didn't have an efficient game, but he made up for it when he suited up against the Utah Jazz in his final game. The 18-time All-Star had 60 points to end his career on a high note.

You might also be interested in reading this: LeBron James trounces Kobe Bryant and 4 other Lakers greats for most games with an astonishing stat line


Kobe Bryant had "sleepless nights" after his former teammate won a ring

Kobe Bryant is one of the most competitive athletes to ever live. During his time with Shaquille O'Neal, they dominated the NBA and won three titles. But that ended when the two had a falling out and Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat. Bryant desired to win a title before his former teammate.

But given that O'Neal had a better supporting cast and situation in Miami, he beat Bryant into winning a ring. According to Trevor Ariza, the Black Mamba's former teammate, the five-time champion had tons of sleepless nights due to O'Neal winning a title before him.

"It drove him f****** sleepless nights," Ariza said. "I could probably say that. He wanted to prove that he was who he thought he was."

In the end, he outdid O'Neal as he won two titles without the help of the dominant big man. Shaq wasn't able to win another title after winning with Dwyane Wade in 2006. On top of that, Bryant won two Finals MVP awards in 2009 and 2010.

Also read: Watch: Kobe Bryant's last video before his death surfaces online, shows him passing Mamba mentality to young player

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