An autographed pair of Adidas EQT Top 10 shoes that Kobe Bryant wore in his first Los Angeles Lakers start have sold for $240,000 (including buyer’s premium) with SCP Auctions, the second largest sum ever paid for a pair of his sneakers.
Photo-matching company Sports Investors Authentication matched the shoes to “being worn by Kobe Bryant on January 28, 1997 — Bryant’s first career NBA game as a starter.” Both shoes are signed, and both autographs include letters of authentication from Professional Sports Authenticator’s authentication arm PSA/DNA.
Bryant played in 34 games before his first Lakers start, averaging 6.4 points in 13 minutes per game. In his first start, Bryant scored 12 points on 5 of 11 shooting from the field, with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.
In February, the Nike Kobe 8 Elite “Lakers Home” sneakers Bryant was wearing when he tore his Achilles in in 2013 sold for $660,000 at Sotheby’s.