The only Kobe Bryant worn artifact from his 81-point game to surface at auction has been sold by Sotheby’s. The price sounds high on the surface, but the majority of bidding basically took place shortly ahead of the auction’s end rather than over the course of the event. One issue which may have prevented the auction from getting more attention was that this “shooting shirt” was not his game-worn jersey This was used for the warm-up ahead of that 81-point triumph.

Sotheby’s also included a non-fungible token (NFT) to boot. The 1-of-1 NFT was designed by Karvin Cheung, the creator behind the highly coveted Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Basketball. The NFT is Mr. Cheung’s first and is the start of a planned series of offerings by the artist. To this day, Kobe’s 81-point performance is widely considered one of the greatest moments in sports history. According to Basketball Reference, that 81-points in a single game is #2 on the all-time list for a single game — but a distant #2 behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game way back in 1972.

The winning bid was $277,200.00, but the bid of $200,000.00 from when we first reported on the auction on February 15 had been held until the final day of bidding. The reserve had been met on the 15th. Image by Sotheby’s.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates collectibles as an alternative asset class. The same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds is being used to buy high-end collectibles. Needless to say, a sale price of $277,000.00 or more could have gone a long way invested in stocks or bonds.

In a first for Sotheby’s the auction giant was proud to allow cryptocurrency as a form of payment in this auction. This auction was also the first time Sotheby’s has paired sports memorabilia with an accompanying NFT.

One can only imagine what this price would have been had it been Kobe’s actual jersey he wore during this key game. Shooting shirts, or warm-up suits, just are not as widely recognized nor as widely collected as actual game-used jerseys. Still, this does appear to be the only game-worn artifact from that record breaking day that has been made available.

Reflecting on the second highest single game point performance in NBA history and his own personal best, Sotheby’s captured the feel with this:

Kobe was quoted in an ESPN article saying, “The Hall of Fame requested my uniform and shoes, and I was going to send it to them because I said, ’This is pretty cool that a player who is still playing has stuff in the Hall of Fame… But my wife was like: ‘No, listen, we’re keeping the uniform. You can send the shoes if you really want, but the uniform is not going anywhere.’ So the uniform is framed and up in the gym in our house.” The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has additionally shown images of the shoes from the 81 point game in their social media posts.

Sotheby’s also directly quoted Kobe Bryant for what he said after that game:

“There’s a lot of players who come up now who don’t think 80 points is possible. You think 50, and if you’re really hot – 60. I never had that limit. Ever. I never, ever thought that way.”

This may be a first, but this was not the first Kobe Bryant NFT.