The only Kobe Bryant worn artifact from his 81-point game to surface at auction is being sold by Sotheby’s. The shirt is not his game-worn jersey, but is instead called his “shooting shirt” for the warm-up ahead of 81-point triumph. And to top it all off, Sotheby’s is also including a non-fungible token (NFT) to boot.

Image below by Sotheby’s.

The 1-of-1 NFT was designed by Karvin Cheung, the creator behind the highly coveted Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Basketball. The NFT will be Mr. Cheung’s first and is the start of a planned series of offerings by the artist. To this day the 81 point performance is widely considered one of the greatest moments in sports history.

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. Let’s just all admit here that $200,000 with lots of time to go is certainly well above any loose threshold of high-end in collectibles.

In a first for Sotheby’s the auction giant is proud to accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment in this auction. This auction is the first time Sotheby’s has paired sports memorabilia with an accompanying NFT and is also the first time payment in cryptocurrency form will be accepted. The current bid is $200,000.00 and the reserve has been met in the online auction ending February 22, 2022.

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.”