Two jerseys from the early careers of basketball legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are about to be auctioned, with a combined value of $20 million.
The auction house announced the news on Thursday, amid rising demand for NBA rookie memorabilia and soaring prices.
The rarity of the two jerseys “cannot be overstated,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s director of modern collectibles. Both will be sold in separate auctions starting March 21.
The jersey was first worn by Michael Jordan on Oct. 5, 1984, when he made his Chicago Bulls debut in a game in Peoria, Illinois, in front of just 2,000 people. It is one of the few remaining jerseys from his first season — a rarity that Sotheby’s has called a “unicorn” in the collectibles market.
Jordan finished his rookie season averaging 28.2 points per game, winning Rookie of the Year. He went on to win six NBA championships and become one of the greatest players in basketball history. Sotheby’s estimates that the jersey could fetch around $10 million at auction.
The second jersey belongs to Kobe Bryant, the legendary star of the Los Angeles Lakers. Sotheby’s confirmed that this is the jersey he wore during both the preseason and his first regular season in the NBA in 1996-1997.
Bryant joined the NBA at the age of 18 and went on to win five NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards. He tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in 2020, leaving behind a legendary legacy in the world of basketball.
Like Jordan's jersey, this jersey is also expected to fetch around $10 million.
Sotheby's said that the demand for NBA rookie memorabilia has increased sharply in recent times. Some notable transactions include a jersey of San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama that sold for $762,000 in October 2023. Previously, in August 2022, a 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card set a record when it sold for $12.6 million
According to Wachter, jerseys from the first season of the players are “the beginning of a legendary career.” For collectors looking for unique treasures, this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of basketball history.
