Sotheby’s is auctioning Kobe Bryant’s personal locker from the Staples Center. Bryant used this locker throughout most of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, from 2003 until his final game in April 2016.
The locker is the centerpiece of Sotheby’s New York online auction, “Altitude | Capsule Collection,” which features 23 pieces of sports memorabilia.
Bryant’s locker, which he used for most of his Los Angeles Lakers career, is expected to fetch between $1 million and $1.5 million. The auction house has provided photographic records of Bryant using the locker from the 2003-04 season through the 2015-16 season.
Kobe Bryant's locker for auction
“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,” described Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Collectables.
After Bryant retired, Brandon Ingram took over the locker. During the Staples Center renovations in 2018, the entire locker room faced demolition. A maintenance worker, spotting the locker’s significance, rescued it before it could be disposed of.
A private collector later purchased the locker, who also owned Bryant’s nameplate. This allowed the nameplate to be reattached to the locker.
Wachter added that, “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,”
“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,” he continued.
Los Angeles Lakers history attached to the locker
Bryant used the locker during the NBA Finals in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2010, as well as the NBA All-Star Games in 2004 and 2011.
The locker was used on the night Bryant scored 62 points through three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks on December 20, 2005, during his franchise-record 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006, and in his final game where he tallied 60 points against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016.
Bidding on Bryant’s locker will start this week and run through July 31. The locker will be on public display at Sotheby’s New York galleries from July 26 to July 30.
A portion of the sale’s proceeds will support the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation, honoring Bryant’s philanthropic legacy. The foundation, the Lakers' official team charity, works to empower and uplift youth through education, sports, and community outreach.
Other listings in the auction
The auction also features Michael Jordan’s shorts from his last basketball game, Diego Maradona’s signed World Cup semifinal jersey, a tennis racket used by Rafael Nadal during the 2006 French Open and Wimbledon, and Florence Griffith-Joyner’s iconic spikes from the 1988 Olympics.
In April, Bryant’s 2000 NBA championship ring, which he had gifted to his father, Joe Bryant, fetched $927,200 at auction. This sale set a new record for the highest price ever paid for an NBA championship ring, surpassing the previous record of $705,000 set in 2021 for Bill Russell’s 1957 ring.
Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers and retired after scoring 60 points in his final game in 2016.
The Hall of Famer tragically died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
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