Goldin Elite Auction Ending May 22-23
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/23/2021
This lot closes on May 23rd, 2021 at 10:00 PM EDT for initial bids.
Every Hall of Fame career must have a beginning, and for the late Kobe Bryant, his first steps on hardwood towards NBA greatness came on November 3rd, 1996 against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Bryant would record one rebound and one block during 6:22 minutes of play during his debut, with the Lakers’ 91-85 victory over the Timberwolves. Bryant would go on to spend the entirety of his 20 seasons with the Lakers, winning five NBA titles while being selected to 18 consecutive All-Star appearances en route to a Hall of Fame career that drew comparisons to Michael Jordan.
Presented here is a stub from Kobe Bryant’s November 3rd, 1996 Los Angeles Lakers versus the Minnesota Timberwolves debut signed by the 2021 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Kobe Bryant. “GREAT WESTERN FORUM NOV. 3, 1996” is labeled in black with a backdrop of the Forum and several stars. “96-97” and a “Los Angeles Lakers” logo are featured just below the image of the “Forum” on the top of the ticket. The midsection of the ticket is labeled “Game 2” and features “Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves” with the team’s respective logos. “Sun, NOV. 3, 1996-6:30 PM” is labeled in black on the midsection. The bottom section of the ticket features the price and seating information, which is section 29, row v, seat 2. Bryant signed his full name across the midsection of the ticket with a black marker. The signature is bold, and the ticket from Bryant’s NBA debut against the Timberwolves comes with a sticker from Panini Authentic (PA30087) and comes encapsulated and authenticated by PSA/DNA (83781209) who graded it AUTHENTIC AUTO.