The towel that Kobe Bryant had draped over his shoulder and back during his farewell speech in his final NBA game in 2016, along with tickets to the game, has reportedly sold for more than $30,000, according to CNN’s Amanda Jackson.
That speech is best remembered for Bryant closing it with his trademark, “Mamba Out,” sign-off. When Bryant walked off Staples Center’s floor for the final time as a player, a fan grabbed the Body Armor towel off of Bryant.
The buyer is reportedly a Lakers fan and items collector who apparently has dreams of creating a Lakers museum based in Southern California (via Amanda Jackson of CNN):
“As Bryant walked off the court, a fan grabbed the Body Armor towel off his shoulders. The fan who originally acquired the towel sold it in a different auction in 2016 for $8,365.00.
Last month, the new towel owner contacted Iconic Auctions, an Arizona-based company that specializes in authentic autographs and memorabilia, to resell it. On Sunday, the towel, along with two tickets from Bryant’s farewell game, sold for a total of $33,077.16, according to Jeff Woolf, president of Iconic Auctions.
The items were accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from Iconic Auctions.
The winning bidder, David Kohler, is an avid Lakers collector who is known for having the largest collection of Lakers memorabilia in the world, Woolf told CNN.
“He is a devoted Lakers fan,” Woolf said. “His long-term plan is to create a museum in Southern California.”
On January 26th, Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter accident on January 26 that killed seven other people.
