Who could ever have imagined when Kobe Bryant is officially inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame this August, the Lakers legend will go in posthumously. The helicopter crash that tragically took his life along with 13-year-old daughter Gianna on January 26th sent shockwaves across the globe. Kobe was not just one of the greatest basketball players to walk this earth. Among athletes, there may never be a more celebrated international icon.
With a heavy heart, SCP Auctions is proud to offer this special Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn by the late, great Kobe Bryant when he graced the October 21, 2013 cover of Sports Illustrated (“The Last Alpha Dog” by Lee Jenkins). The SI photoshoot was done by famed photographer Walter Iooss Jr. at the MGM in Las Vegas on October 9th. The cover shot and others have been professionally photo-matched by MeiGray. The 2013-14 season started shortly thereafter, but Bryant had to wait until December 10th to make his debut, recovering from the Achilles tear that ended his 2012-13 campaign. He ended up playing in just six games before fracturing his tibia and missing the rest of the year. Thus, Kobe never got a chance to wear this unique “Hollywood Nights" style in a game, making it even rarer piece for elite collectors.
Mamba graced a total of 16 SI covers and was the subject of dozens of featured articles. This Lee Jenkins story from the 10/21/13 issue is perhaps the most honest and self-defining piece ever written about the intense superstar.
“In an age when athletes aspire to be icons,” Jenkins wrote, “Bryant looms as perhaps the last alpha dog, half greyhound and half pit bull. No one handles him. No one censors him. He shows up alone.”
"I can't relate to lazy people,” admitted Kobe. “We don't speak the same language. I don't understand you. I don't want to understand you…Some guys don't want this. It's too much. It's too uncomfortable. If that's the case, then we can't play together. It won't work.”
Black with purple and yellow accents, the striking Mamba-esque shirt has Kobe’s iconic No. “24” sewn on the chest and reverse in purple mesh on gold and black tackle twill. “BRYANT” is sewn across the upper back in purple-on-gold tackle twill. “LAKERS” appears across the chest in purple and gold lettering. The Adidas “4XL” size tag with “Length +4[in.]” flag is sewn on the front left tail alongside the NBA Authentics tag uniquely labeled “LLA 01917.” The jersey comes in flawless condition with appropriately light photoshoot wear. (This exact jersey recently sold at auction for $18K before it was photo-matched to the 2013 SI cover; it was inaccurately listed as “game-worn” when, in fact, the Lakers did not wear these black unis once during the only Dec. 10-17 stretch of games in which Kobe played in 2013-14.)
A popular yet scarce Lakers style, this one-of-a-kind cover jersey is one of the most significant Kobe pieces we have ever listed at auction. Includes LOA from MeiGray confirming a conclusive photo-match to the SI Cover shot and two Getty images (186338797, 186338778) from the same photoshoot. In addition, we wil incude a brand new issue of the 10/21/2013 Sports Illustrated issue.