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Dan HajduckyJul 27, 2025, 12:38 PM ET
- Dan Hajducky is a staff writer for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.
An autographed pair of Adidas EQT Top 10 shoes that Kobe Bryant wore in his first Los Angeles Lakers start have sold for $240,000 (including buyer’s premium) with SCP Auctions, the second largest sum ever paid for a pair of his sneakers.
Photo-matching company Sports Investors Authentication matched the shoes to “being worn by Kobe Bryant on January 28, 1997 — Bryant’s first career NBA game as a starter.” Both shoes are signed, and both autographs include letters of authentication from Professional Sports Authenticator’s authentication arm PSA/DNA.
Bryant played in 34 games before his first Lakers start, averaging 6.4 points in 13 minutes per game. In his first start, Bryant scored 12 points on 5 of 11 shooting from the field, with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.
In February, the Nike Kobe 8 Elite “Lakers Home” sneakers Bryant was wearing when he tore his Achilles in in 2013 sold for $660,000 at Sotheby’s.
