Set of 4 2000-01 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Kobe Bryant Ultimate Signatures - All BGS 9.5/Autograph 10 | Includes a 1 of 1 | On-Card Autographs | First Year Ultimate Collection

Presented is an incredibly rare rainbow set of Ultimate Signatures preserved in Gem Mint condition from the inaugural Ultimate Collection basketball set depicting one of the sport’s most legendary figures, Kobe Bryant.

2000-01 Ultimate Collection’s Ultimate Signatures were broken into four rarity levels, Bronze limited to 200 prints, Silver limited to 75, Gold limited to 25, and Super, which are one-of-a-kind. At that highest level, Upper Deck narrowed the checklist from 15 players to just three superstars, and produced five 1-of-1 Super autograph designs for each. These unduplicated cards, one of which is included in this lot, represented the first 1-of-1 autographed cards manufactured for Kobe Bryant by Upper Deck that were not buybacks. Appropriately, the Ultimate Signatures designs feature Kobe locked in battle with some of his biggest rivals including the San Antonio Spurs, who his Lakers fought for supremacy with throughout the decades resulting in seven head-to-head playoff matchups during Kobe’s tenure, and the Minnesota Timberwolves led by long-time nemesis and future Finals opponent Kevin Garnett.

The rainbow set featured here represents the cream of the crop at each rarity level and, at the time of cataloging, is virtually impossible to surpass. Among the 47 Bronze, 23 Silver, 11 Gold, and 3 Super Kobes graded by Beckett, there is not a single card that has been graded higher than the 9.5s featured in this lot. The consistent perfect 10 autograph grades add further to the group’s remarkable condition. As such, this presents a generational opportunity to acquire one of Kobe’s most coveted and best preserved rainbow sets.

The turn of the millennium, when these cards were in production, was a truly major year for Kobe. Things started hot as, on the strength of a 19-game winning streak shortly after New Year’s, Kobe brought the Lakers into the postseason atop the Western Conference for the first time in a decade. After years of failures in the playoffs, Kobe came alive pouring in 22.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and over 1.5 steals and blocks per game through the first three rounds to lead LA past their Western Conference foes and into his first NBA Finals.

Facing Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers, Kobe had his first iconic Finals moment in Game 4 of the series. Earlier in the series, the Lakers Game 2 victory hadn’t come without a price. On a Kobe mid-range jump shot in the first quarter, Pacers guard Jalen Rose (as he would later admit) intentionally slid his foot underneath the leaping Bryant. As he came down to the floor, his ankle twisted violently and left Kobe writing in pain. He would leave the contest and be forced to miss Game 3 as well due to what he called “the worst sprained ankle of his career,” which caused his leg to “swell to the size of a volleyball.” In spite of the Pacers’ efforts to get Kobe out of the series, he came back for Game 4 with vengeance on his mind.

A tight contest throughout, Kobe poured in 20 points in regulation to set up overtime with a potential 3-1 series lead on the line. When teammate Shaquille O’Neal fouled out with 2:33 left to go, however, the weight of the team rested on Bryant and his injured ankle. In a fashion that he would embody throughout his years in the league, he came back even stronger and pulled through in the clutch. With Shaq on the bench he took over, scoring six of the Lakers’ final eight points and securing a key offensive rebound and tip-in to seal the game with five seconds to go. The Lakers would close out the series in Game 6 as basketball’s most potent duo combined for 67 points and Bryant raised his first Larry O’Brien trophy at the newly-built Staples Center, now known as the “House that Kobe built.”

This trademark moment of Kobe clutch-time brilliance was the culmination of his best season so far as a pro. He was named an All-Star for the second time, selected for the All-Defensive First Team for the first of nine times, and honored as a member of the All-NBA Second Team for the first time (his highest placement to date). He finished the season with new career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game. As it turned out, it was just the start of an extraordinary career.

The ensuing 2000-01 season saw Kobe push himself even higher with new top marks in points, assists, and steals while once again earning All-NBA, All-Defensive, and All-Star honors. Kobe and the Lakers submitted perhaps the most dominant playoff run ever in 2001, dropping just one of their 16 games. Bryant won his second NBA Championship and earned a place in the conversation as the best player on the planet with averages of 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game in the playoffs. Kobe would go on to win three more titles, have both of his numbers retired, and produce countless moments that demonstrated the drive, determination, and skill that make him one of the best to ever play. As these cards were being made and released, we watched the birth of a legend: “Black Mamba.”

These cards have been authenticated and deemed to be in Gem Mint condition, receiving a grade of 9.5 from Beckett Grading Services (BGS). Each autograph was graded and received a 10 from BGS.

The BGS certificate numbers for the cards in this lot are: 0008298660 (Bronze “94/200”), 0005699723 (Silver “34/75”), 0005732121 (Gold “02/25”), and 0007298917 (Super “1/1”).

Going Deeper - Kobe Bryant

The Black Mamba

After 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 2005-06 and 2006-07 and achieved NBA League MVP honors in the 2007-08 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.