Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 2012-2013 Game Worn Jersey

When Kobe Bryant was drafted into the NBA at 17 years old, he did not celebrate with an elaborate draft party. Instead, Bryant reportedly went to the gym. 17 years later, when he tore his achilles in April of 2013, Kobe was not carried off the court by his teammates. With a face displaying agony, he instead hobbled to the free throw line and made both shots, touching nothing but net.  

An embodiment of the competitive spirit, it was Bryant’s ability to attack each game with an unparalleled desire to win that made him one of this generation’s greatest. When Kobe retired in 2016, he did so as a 5-time NBA champion, a league MVP, a 2-time scoring champion and a 12-time All-Defensive team selection. A complete player and an ambassador of the game, Bryant was the face of the Los Angeles Lakers and one of the biggest names in the NBA during his 20-year career. 

Sotheby’s is proud to present this jersey worn by Bryant on November 2, 2012, when the Lakers played the Los Angeles Clippers in a 105-95 loss. Bryant recorded 40 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. In the third quarter of this game, Bryant passed Magic Johnson to become the Lakers' career steals leader with the 1,725th of his career.

The jersey has been photomatched by Sports Investors Authentication and verified by the Meigray Group.

Going Deeper | Kobe Bryant

After the three consecutive Laker championships from 2000-2002, the legendary tandem of Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal was disbanded when Shaq was dealt to the Miami Heat in 2004. With Kobe firmly in the driver's seat of the Lakers offense, he quickly established himself as one of the premier scorers the game has ever seen. 

Between 2005 and the end of his career, Kobe put on a plethora of jaw-dropping scoring displays: 62 points against the Mavericks, 81 points against the Raptors (2nd all-time in NBA history) 55 here, 60 there. It seemed that any night could provide NBA fans with a dominant performance – a scoring clinic. 

Kobe won back-to-back scoring titles in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 and achieved NBA League MVP honors in the 2007-2008 season, the only regular season MVP of his career. After being joined by Pau Gasol, Kobe led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2008, 2009, 2010) and two NBA championships (2009 and 2010), earning Finals MVP honors on both occasions. 

Kobe ended his historic career with one last shining moment in 2016. In his final game in the NBA, a 37-year old Bryant willed the Lakers to a come-from-behind victory, scoring 60 points and hitting the game-winning shot in the process. The performance was surreal, the perfect bow on the gift that was watching Kobe play. A nod to the basketball greats, a demonstration of a love for the game, deep-rooted and palpable. 

In 2021, Kobe Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Lakers organization retired both numbers he wore during his career, 24 and 8.