Perhaps the most legitimate contender to Michael Jordan's claim as the most electrifying player the game has ever known is five-time NBA champion and recently retired Kobe Bryant. The only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant Kobe became the first guard in league history drafted out of high school in 1996 and almost upon arrival as a teenager ushered in a new era of “Showtime” basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers. After 20 glorious seasons in L.A. Kobe belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Lakers all-time greats right up there with Magic Kareem West Wilt and Mikan. 60 points in his final career game put Kobe in a legendary category all by himself. We may never again see another like the “Black Mamba” with the same competitive drive will to win and obsession with perfection.

Presented here is a Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers game-worn home jersey from his memorable rookie campaign in 1996-97 when he was just an 18-year-old pup flooded with talent and untapped potential. Kobe saw action in 71 games that year and averaged 7.6 points in 15.5 minutes per game earning 2nd Team All-Rookie honors. He was an All-Star his sophomore season but it was not until his third year that he became a full-time starter and stopped playing second fiddle to Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe was just 21 when he won his first NBA title.

The gold mesh jersey comes in size 44 and has the proper Champion manufacturer’s tagging on the left front tail with an adjacent Lakers team logo tag reading “DESIGNED & TAILORED 96-97 EXCLUSIVELY FOR LOS ANGELES LAKERS” and “BODY Length +4”. Across the chest of the jersey is “LAKERS” with “BRYANT” sewn directly across the upper back. His early career uniform number “8” appears front and back in a shaded design. All letters and numbers are all-original and come in purple-on-white tackle twill. The upper left chest has the gold NBA embroidered logo patch. The jersey displays light-to-moderate game wear with minor but consistent fraying of the letters and numbers front and back.

LOA from notable collector Alan Meza. Additional letter from MEARS graded A5. [Note: this is the highest grade a post-1988 jersey can achieve without documented team or player provenance.]