Source: Courtesy Sotheby’s / Sotheby’s
At the end of July it was reported that Kobe Bryant’s personal locker from the Staples Center would be up for auction, with an estimated value hovering around $1.5 million.
Well, the auction has officially closed and according to Raw Story, the NBA legend’s personal locker sold for an impressive $2.9 million. Not a bad haul for a piece of history that was almost chucked away with the rest of the trash when the Staples Center underwent renovations in 2018. To be fair, Kobe Bryant (RIP) was still alive and well when his locker was about to get tossed, but still, someone saw the value in it and was smart enough to hold onto it knowing it would be priceless to the right person.
Per Raw Story:
A maintenance worker saved the locker from being discarded in 2018 during renovations of the Staples Center arena, according to Sotheby’s. An American collector later acquired the piece.
“Today’s price highlights not only Kobe’s enduring legacy but also the exceptional nature of this unique item,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectables of the sale price achieved after 19 bids.
The sale at Sotheby’s also featured memorabilia from sporting icons like Michael Jordan and Reggie Jackson, as well as items from contemporary stars such as Rafael Nadal and Stephen Curry.
No word on who ended up with the winning bid, but one has to wonder what they plan on doing with it. Will they build a Kobe shrine with it? Will they actually use it as their own personal home locker? Could the winner have been someone Kobe knew or even played in the NBA with? Was it Vanessa Bryant? We have questions that will probably never be answered.
Who do y’all think won Kobe Bryant’s locker? Let us know in the comments section below.
