Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was truly one of the most popular athletes of all time, as evidenced by his staggering jersey sales during his playing days.

We all know how Bryant started his NBA career wearing the No. 8 before making the shift to No. 24 in the 2006-07 season.

To this day, The Black Mamba holds the distinction of being the only player to have two jersey numbers retired by one team. The league also gave a beautiful tribute to Bryant’s legacy at the 2020 All-Star Game.

Kobe Bryant donned many a jersey throughout his storied basketball career — each having its own unique story. Let’s rank eight of Kobe’s most iconic jerseys of all time.

8. MPLS throwback jerseys (2001-02) and (2004-05)

As far as aesthetics go, the Lakers’ throwback jersey to their Minneapolis days is indeed as pleasing as they come. The team, after all, was named after the “Land of 10,00 Lakes” during their early years in the Basketball Association of America (BAA).

Kobe Bryant rocked the “MPLS” on his chest several times early in his career in the 2001-02 campaign:

In the 2004-05 season, the team briefly traded their purple and gold for a classic light blue look. The jersey looked especially slick on Bryant, as the stars aptly represented his star power.

7. Royal blue jersey (2003-04)

It’s a shame that Kobe Bryant and the Lakers only wore these fresh threads for a handful of games in the 2003-04 season. The royal blue color perfectly captured the franchise’s majestic history, while the big cursive “Los Angeles” text was also an eye-catcher.

The jersey (particularly Kobe’s No. 8) remains a popular choice for fans and collectors to this day.

6. 2003 All-Star Game jersey

Kobe Bryant wore a lot of All-Star Game jerseys during his playing days, appearing 18 times for the Western Conference.

Still, his 2003 get-up in Atlanta stands out the most. That year, we found out that red was also a good look for the 6-foot-6 shooting guard.

While the uniform is considered plain by today’s standards, it brings us back to a much simpler time when jerseys were all about looking fresh and clean.

That ’03 game was quite memorable since Kobe’s idol, Michael Jordan, played against Bryant in his final All-Star Game:

5. Lakers’ “Hollywood Nights” black jerseys (2013-14)

Kobe Bryant's “Black Mamba” alter ego was perfectly personified by these dark jerseys. While the public was used to seeing the Lakers don bright colors, their black theme was widely embraced by fans in the 2013-14 season.

The look certainly suited Bryant’s no-nonsense demeanor on the basketball floor. The team embraced the dark colors and even brought it back the following year with a sleeved alternate version.

4. Team USA (2008 and 2012)

Apart from winning five NBA titles, Kobe Bryant also won two gold medals for Team USA in the Olympics. The late megastar donned No. 10 during his two separate stints in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012:

The ’08 design featured a modern take on jerseys, while the ’12 ones had a sharp and sleek look. Bryant obliterated the competition during both tenures, and he certainly looked good while doing so.

3. Lower Merion High School jersey

Kobe Bryant broke plenty of records during his spectacular high school career in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion.

His No. 33 jersey remains one of the most valuable pieces among collectors. In fact, the original jersey Bryant wore was stolen from the school in 2017.

The iconic uniform re-emerged and was returned to the institution a month after Bryant’s passing in January 2020. One collector suspected it was stolen and contacted the school.

2. Showtime era jerseys (1996-97)

Back in his rookie season, Kobe Bryant managed to don the same jersey designs once used by legendary Lakers Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the showtime era.

Bryant even famously wore the classic purple design when he won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. The then-18-year-old phenom donned the Lakers’ full warmers in the preliminary round. He showed the world his unmatched athleticism by besting Michael Finley and Chris Carr in the finale:

1. Early and late 2000s championship jerseys

The Lakers haven't made drastic changes to their base jersey designs over the years, but they adopted a fresher look in the 1999-2000 season, right as the franchise started a new dynasty. Kobe Bryant won three consecutive titles from 2000-2002 while donning the team’s patented look. They even began using an alternate white jersey in the 2002-03 season.

Fast-forward to the late 2000s, and the Lakers effectively kept the same distinguished design when they won two more titles in 2009 and 2010. This time Kobe was wearing the No. 24 jersey, giving him championships with both numbers.