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Kobe Bryant’s Rookie Card Sells for Record-Breaking Amount at Auction

Published 03/07/2021, 7:11 AM EST

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NBA trading cards have been on a roll lately. Be it the $4 million sale of Slovenian prodigy Luka Doncic’s card or the sale of Lakers’ talisman LeBron James’ card, trading cards prices have been on an all-time high. The latest to join this list is the rookie card of Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant’s record-breaking trading card sale

Recently, Kobe Bryant’s rookie year card was put up for auction. It was solid for a mind-boggling $1.79 million, making it the most expensive Kobe card to be sold.

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Ever since the ‘Black Mamba’s tragic loss a year ago, prices of sports memorabilia related to Kobe have sky-rocketed. And so, it is not a surprise that Kobe’s pristine rookie card was sold for such a staggering amount.

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With the latest sale, the rookie card became the 10th most expensive trading card sold to date. Other notable cards in this list are LeBron James‘ rookie patch card worth $1.8 million, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 13-14 Logoman Patch Autograph worth $1.8 million, and Luka Doncic‘s recently sold Logoman Patch Autograph worth an astonishing $4.2 million.

Given the recent surge in the prices of trading cards, it will be fascinating to see who’s trading card breaks all these records.

Is Kobe Bryant the GOAT?

Kobe Bryant was arguably one of the best players NBA has ever seen. Ever since his debut in the NBA, ‘Black Mamba’ showed flashes of being a generational talent.

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In his 20-year-career, ‘Black Mamba‘ made the All-Star team a staggering 18 times. He was also a versatile player in the offensive and defensive end, winning 2-scoring titles and becoming a member of All-Defensive teams 12 times.

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He also topped his Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal to win five NBA championships and two Finals MVPs.

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With such an accomplished CV, any other player would ride off into the sunset. But Kobe was built different. Shortly after his retirement, the 2007-08 MVP started off his own basketball academy, called the ‘Mamba Academy’. Focused on the development of women’s basketball, Bryant became a key figure in the WNBA community.

But unfortunately, the world lost the icon a year ago in a helicopter crash. Mamba’s legacy still lives in within the NBA community. Be it his impeccable work ethic or inspiring ‘Mamba’ Mentality, everyone adores Kobe. Given his incredible achievements throughout his lifetime, Kobe Bryant is arguably the GOAT of basketball.

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Written by:

Aditya Mohapatra

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Aditya Mohapatra is a sports enthusiast who primarily covers the NBA for EssentiallySports. Having graduated in Mass Communication, he has prior experience in writing for ABP News, and has been writing for EssentiallySports since November 2020. This die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan feels that LeBron James is the best thing to have ever happened to the NBA, and will hold a healthy debate with anyone suggesting otherwise.
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