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Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers jersey from his only Most Valuable Player season, which was memorialized in photos and murals, will be auctioned this week and could fetch as much as $7 million. Sotheby's is marketing the signed number 24 basketball jersey that belonged to the late athlete as part of its Zenith Part 1 auction. The auction house says the jersey has an estimated market value of between $5 million and $7 million.
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"It would be a record for a jersey. Kobe Bryant items, in general, have had a lot of precedent in a very high range," said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's vice president and head of streetwear and modern collectibles.
"This jersey was worn by Kobe Bryant at the peak of his powers, during his only MVP season, for an astounding 25 games spread throughout an 8-month period," Sotheby's said, adding that the iconic gold jersey will be sold with other Bryant memorabilia and photos.
The auction will be held a little more than three years after the death of Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, who were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26, 2020.
The jersey is the only gold uniform Bryant wore in the 2008 NBA Playoffs leading to the 2008 NBA Finals when the Lakers were crowned Western Conference Champions.
Bryant wore the jersey on April 23, 2008, in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round against the Denver Nuggets, when he sank a 3-pointer with just over 5-minutes on the clock, securing the Lakers' 14-point lead.
The image taken following that shot of Bryant screaming and grabbing his jersey has become one of the most iconic images of the late athlete and has been reprinted on Lakers memorabilia, as well as on murals across Los Angeles and the United States.
"That night, as he claimed victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, scoring 34 points, Kobe wore this jersey," Sotheby's wrote in the auction description.
Bryant wore the same jersey again to pose for his official portrait with his MVP award after the Lakers won the championship on May 7, 2008.
"From Lakers Media Day on Oct. 1, 2007, until the conclusion of the Western Conference Finals on May 29, 2008, this jersey was worn in 5 pre-season games, 14 regular season games and 6 playoff games," the auction house said.
"Sports artifacts with this type of long-term, heavy wear are a rarity in the collecting space," Sotheby's said. "Kobe Bryant scored 645 points in this jersey."
