Late Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash with his daughter and others early this year in California, remains fresh in our memories. He was one of the most renowned athletes, which is evident in the high rate at which his jersey is being sold out while he was still alive and playing.
He began his NBA career as a No.8, after which he changed to wearing No.24 during the 2006/2007 season. He was referred to as the Black Mamba, and he holds the record of being the only basketball player to have retired two jersey numbers by a single team. He was also celebrated as one of the best in the league’s history during the 2020 All-Star Game.
Late Kobe Bryant has worn many jerseys throughout his basketball career, with each jersey having their own exclusive story. Here is a list of eight of his most notable jerseys of all time. We will start from the least to the top.
8. MPLS Throwback Jerseys
This Kobe Bryant jersey was worn in the 2001/2002 season and 2004/2005 season. This jersey holds many memories for the Lakers (Kobe’s basketball team before his death) because they wore it in their days at Minneapolis, so they find it pleasing.
After that, the team replaced their gold and purple colored jersey for a standard light blue look. It looked so good on the players, especially on Kobe, because it featured stars that depicted his star power as a player.
7. Royal Blue Jersey
Throughout their history, The Lakers and Bryant wore new threads as this uniform only for a couple of games during the 2003/2004 season. This royal blue colored jersey impeccably highlighted the Lakers’ great history featuring a big cursive boldly written “Los Angeles,” which was catchy to the eyes.
Bryant’s No.8 jersey stood out and made many sales as collectors and fans admire it till today.
6. All-Star Game Jersey
Bryant wore a handful of All-star Game jerseys throughout his career, making eighteen appearances for the Western Conference.
However, the jersey in 2003 worn in Atlanta stood out with its red look, which matched the six-foot-six guard perfectly. Although the jersey might be considered plain by today’s measurement, it made players look all clean and fresh at then (in 2003) in simpler times.
The game in 2003 was also unforgettable for Bryant because he played against his idol Michael Jordan in the latter’s final All-Star Game as a player.
5. Lakers’ Black Jerseys
Bryant was famously called Black Mamba, so it is no surprise why this jersey stood out because it personified his ego. The jersey, also referred to as ‘Hollywood Nights’, was a deviation from the usual bright-colored jerseys Lakers always wore at that time, yet the fans and team broadly accepted it in the 2013/2014 season.
The jersey was repeated in the following season to validate its acceptance, although modified into a sleeved version. The black look of the jersey matched Bryant’s no-nonsense conduct on the basketball field.
4. Team USA
In addition to the five NBA titles, Bryant won two gold medals for his country USA in the Olympics. He wore number 10 in the two Olympics competition in 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London).
The 2008 jersey design took on a modern look while the 2012 jerseys featured a smooth and sharp look.
3. High School Jersey
During his remarkable career in high school in Lower Merion, Bryant broke a lot of records. He wore the No.33 jersey then, which is still one of the most sought for among collectors. The original jersey he wore back then was even stolen in 2017 on the school premises.
After Bryant passed away in January 2020, the stolen uniform was sent back to the school by a collector who had possession of it when he had suspicions it was stolen.
2. Showtime Era Jerseys
In his early playing days in 1996, Bryant donned the same jersey previously worn by legendary Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. The jersey has a purple design, and Kobe wore it when he won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1997, at the age of eighteen after besting Chris Carr and Michael Finley in the finale.
- Late and Early 2000s Championship Jerseys.
Over the years, there has been a lot of changes and modification to the Lakers jersey designs. But particularly in the 1999/2000 season, the Lakers embraced a fresher look to mark the beginning of their new dynasty. Bryant later went on to win three consecutive titles with this jersey for the Lakers.
Later in 2002/2003, the jersey was remodeled into a white jersey. In late 2000, they kept the same design and won two additional titles in 2009 and 2010. At this time, Bryant wore No.24
All of these jerseys mentioned above, make huge sales yearly, so if you want to buy a Kobe Bryant jersey, you should opt for one of them. Kobe Bryant lives on!
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” He is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
