Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant Rookie jerseys to extend an public sale

Michael Jordan from the Chicago Bulls (L) see the basket when he guarded by Kobe Bryant by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Vince Bucci | AFP | Getty pictures

Rare souvenirs from two of the largest icons of the National Basketball Association meet the auction block and are expected to be sold for $ 20 million.

Sotheby's announced on Thursday that it opened the auction Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Rookie jerseys who were played in each of their first NBA games. The auction comes when rookie memory pieces have recently recorded an increase in popularity and pricing.

“The historical weight of these two jerseys is difficult to overdue. They are as rare as they come,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's Head of Modern Collectables.

The jerseys will be available in separate plots from March 21.

Sotheby's auctioned rare jerseys from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's rookie season.

The Jordan jersey was first worn on October 5, 1984 in Peoria, Illinois, where he played his first game for the Chicago Bulls in front of a lot of only 2,000 people.

Sotheby's Said jerseys from Jordan's rookie season are “unicorns” and rarely on the market.

Jordan scored an average of 28.2 points per game in this rookie season and received the honor of Rookie of the Year. He won six NBA championships and consolidated its name as one of the greatest basketball players ever.

Sotheby's expects the legendary jersey to bring in around 10 million US dollars.

A second lot offers Bryant's first jersey from his rookie ground from 1996-97 with the Los Angeles Lakers. Sotheby's said that the rare jersey was worn during Bryant's first pre-season and regular season games.

Bryant entered the NBA at the age of just 18 and won five NBA championships and two MVP prices in final. He died in 2020 in a tragic helicopter accident.

Bryant's jersey is expected to be sold within the range of 10 million US dollars.

Sotheby's says that rookie memory pieces have recently recorded an increase in demand. In October 2023, Victor Wembanyama's game in San Antonio Spurs Jersey for $ 762,000 and in August 2022, a tops Mickey Mantle Rookie card from 1952 sold for $ 12.6 million.

“Early rookie jerseys represent the creation of an athlete's career. For collectors looking for real unique treasures, this is a unique opportunity to have legendary parts of basketball history,” said Wachter.