LOS ANGELES – The locker Kobe Bryant used at Staples Center from the 2003=2016 is being put up for auction by Sotheby’s, The Sporting Tribune has learned.
The locker was used by Bryant during the NBA Finals in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010, as well as the NBA All-Star Games in 2004 and 2011.
It also was used on the night Bryant scored 62 points against the Dallas Mavericks through three quarters on Dec. 20, 2005, scored a franchise-record 81-points against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006 and scored an unforgettable 60 points against the Utah Jazz in his final game on April 13, 2016.
“If the Staples Center was ‘The House that Kobe Built’ then this was his room inside that house, a remarkable and intimate artifact that lived Kobe’s career with him,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Collectables, told The Sporting Tribune.
The item, according to Sotheby’s, “was discovered in 2018, during renovations of the Staples Center, when the entirety of the Lakers locker room was set to be discarded. As demolition was happening, a vigilant maintenance worker recognized the significance of Kobe’s locker and saved it from disposal.
"After years in storage, the maintenance worker sold the basketball icon’s locker to an American collector in a private transaction. The same American collector already owned Kobe’s original locker nameplate, thus reuniting these two pieces to complete the set.”
Bryant’s Staples Center locker will be sold at Sotheby’s on July 31, with an estimate of $1.5 million. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation.
“Kobe Bryant's locker at the Staples Center is more than just a piece of memorabilia; it's a sacred relic of his unparalleled journey,” Wachter said. “This locker was Kobe's sanctuary amidst triumphs and challenges, a witness to the highs and lows of a storied career.
"Every achievement and hardship left its mark within these walls. Its appearance now at auction symbolizes a rare opportunity to own a unique piece of Kobe's legacy.”
Bidding for Bryant’s locker will begin this week and go through July 31. The locker will be on public view in Sotheby’s New York galleries from July 26-30.
Also up for auction is Diego Maradona’s game-worn and autographed Argentina shirt from the 1986 World Cup semifinal and a pair of Michael Jordan’s shorts worn during the final game of his career.