Washington: The towel which basketball legend Kobe Bryant had drapped over his shoulders during his farewell speech following his final game in 2016 has been sold for more than $33,000.
Bryant’s towel, along with two tickets to his final game, were sold at a virtual auction on Sunday for a total of $33,077.16, according to Jeff Woolf, president of Iconic Auctions, reports CNN. The items were accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from Iconic Auctions.
On 13 April, 2016, Bryant played his final game with the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center and scored 60 points against Utaz Jazz.
The late five-time NBA champion ended his speech at Staples Center in Los Angeles with his trademark “Mamba Out” before walking off the court. A fan grabbed the towel, beginning a stretch in which that souvenir has been sold multiple times.
The winning bid was made by David Kohler, an avid Lakers collector who is known for having the largest collection of Lakers memorabilia in the world, Woolf said.
This wasn’t the only Bryant item that Kohler took home. Earlier this month, Kohler paid nearly $30,000 for a middle school yearbook that was signed by the basketball legend.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among the nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on 26 January.
He finished his playing career as the Lakers’ all-time leading points scorer, and is fourth on the NBA’s all-time list with 33,643 points. He won gold for the US at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Bryant also has an Academy Award to his name for his animated short film “Dear Basketball” in 2018.