Twenty years, five championships, one franchise. Few players have ever been collected like Kobe Bryant.
Kobe spent his entire career with the Lakers, from a 17-year-old rookie out of Lower Merion High School to a 60-point farewell at Staples Center. Inside The Shrine, David Kohler's collection of Lakers memorabilia, that whole story is told through the things Kobe wore, signed and left behind: game-worn shoes from nearly every chapter of his career, one-of-a-kind signed pieces, and items that never made it into a store. Here is Kobe's career, piece by piece.
Before the Lakers: Lower Merion
Some of the rarest Kobe pieces come from before anyone outside Philadelphia knew his name. In The Shrine is a classmate's 1992 yearbook, signed by a 13-year-old Kobe with a note that already sounds like him: "How bout those Lakers. Your friend, Kobe Bryant #24." It's PSA/DNA certified, and it's one of the earliest Kobe autographs you will ever see.
Kobe's signed 1992 eighth-grade yearbook, PSA/DNA certified.
By his senior year, Kobe was the most talked-about high school player in the country. The Shrine has his signed 1995 Beach Ball Classic program, with Kobe on the cover as "America's Consensus #1 Player," from the Myrtle Beach tournament just months before he declared for the draft.
The Rookie Years
Kobe's Lakers career almost started on the injured list. In the summer of 1996, before his rookie season, he broke his wrist playing pickup at Venice Beach. The actual cast he wore is in The Shrine, one of the most unusual pieces of his early career.
That rookie season ended in Utah, in Game 5 of the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals. The Shrine has the size 13.5 adidas Kobe wore that night, game-worn and signed. It's the night the 18-year-old rookie took the big shots with the season on the line and shot four airballs in the final minutes and overtime, a game that became part of the Kobe legend.
Kobe's game-worn, signed adidas from Game 5 of the 1997 playoffs in Utah.
The Three-Peat
With Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe won three straight titles from 2000 to 2002. The Shrine's black adidas Crazy 1s from the 2001 Finals were game-worn by Kobe as the Lakers beat the 76ers for back-to-back championships, and signed "Kobe 8."
Kobe's game-worn adidas Crazy 1s from the 2001 NBA Finals.
The next season, the Lakers wore an American flag patch to honor the victims of September 11. The Shrine has Kobe's game-worn gold #8 home uniform with that patch, paired with his game-worn shoes. That season ended with a third straight title, and The Shrine has Kobe's own words on it, signed and numbered 1 of 1: "This was our most challenging ring to win." Watch David share it.
The Scoring Years
After Shaq left, Kobe carried the Lakers on his own, and the numbers got historic.
- 2004 All-Star Game. The red, white and blue Nike Huarache 2K4s Kobe wore in the All-Star Game at Staples Center, on his home floor.
- 81 points. On January 22, 2006, Kobe scored 81 against Toronto, the second-highest total in NBA history. The Shrine has the original scorer's final box from that game, signed by Kobe and PSA/DNA certified, plus a full ticket he also signed.
- The Black Mamba. An original photo from Kobe's 2006 "Black Mamba" SLAM Magazine cover, with his rare handwritten inscription: "Hunt me or be hunted." Watch the story.
The signed scorer's final box from Kobe's 81-point game, January 22, 2006.
MVP and Back-to-Back Titles
Kobe was named league MVP in 2007–08, and The Shrine has the white, purple and gold Nike Zoom Kobe IIIs he wore and signed that season. That summer he won gold with the Redeem Team in Beijing, and his own signed Olympic athlete credential is in the collection too.
The 2009 run brought Kobe his fourth ring and his first Finals MVP. From that playoff run, The Shrine has his game-worn Nike Zoom Kobe IVs from Game 3 of the West Semifinals in Houston, signed and dated "5-8-09" after a 108–94 win over the Rockets. David has two videos on this pair alone, including a closer look at the dual signatures.
Kobe's game-worn Kobe IVs from the 2009 playoffs, signed and dated 5-8-09.
Other pieces from those years show how big Kobe had become off the court: the signed highway sign from the 2009 All-Star Game TV commercial, "Phoenix, 357 miles from LA," and the 100-pound test slab of his handprints made for the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 2011.
The Final Chapter
After tearing his Achilles in 2013, Kobe came back in the high-top Kobe 9 Elites he designed for the comeback. The Shrine's pair is game-worn and signed "Kobe 24."
His final season, 2015–16, is one of the deepest parts of the collection. There is the custom "20 Years 5 Rings" cigar box the Lakers gave him, signed by the team. There are D'Angelo Russell's game-worn rookie shoes, inscribed by Kobe: "To D, Be Great! Not good, GREAT!" Watch the story.
And there is April 13, 2016, the night Kobe scored 60 points against Utah in his last game. The Shrine has the gold warm-up jacket he wore as he saluted the crowd before tip-off, and the BodyArmor towel from that night.
The gold warm-up jacket Kobe wore before his 60-point final game on April 13, 2016.
Remembering Kobe and Gigi
After Kobe and his daughter Gianna died in January 2020, players across the league honored them on the court. The Shrine has Anthony Davis's game-worn tribute shoes, hand-written with "GiGi" and "RIP Bean." That season ended with the Lakers winning the 2020 championship in Kobe's honor.
What Makes Kobe Memorabilia Valuable
Kobe is one of the most collected athletes in the world, and the pieces that hold the most value share a few things.
- Game-worn over game-issued. Shoes and jerseys Kobe actually wore in a specific game, especially the playoffs, the Finals or a milestone night, sit at the top of the market.
- A clear moment. A piece tied to a date, like 5-8-09 or April 13, 2016, tells a story buyers can check against the box score.
- Trusted authentication. Autographs from PSA/DNA, JSA or Beckett, and game-worn pieces with strong documentation or a photo match, are the ones collectors trust. Our guide on how to tell if a Lakers jersey is really game-worn covers what to look for.
- Rarity. Early signatures from his Lower Merion years, numbered pieces and one-of-one inscriptions are far harder to find than his later autographs.
See the Kobe Collection
Every piece in this post has its own video, with David telling the story behind it. Watch them all in the Kobe Bryant section of the Shrine Showcase, or start with the Kobe quick hits tour of the display.
Own a piece of Kobe's career? David is always looking for new additions to The Shrine. Tell him about it.
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