Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant captivated NBA arenas for 20 seasons, becoming the face of the NBA in the post Michael Jordan era. The five-time champion turned into quite the figure in regards to apparel, whether selling his jerseys, his own apparel line, or in relation to the extravagant shoe collection made during his career.
During the 2002-03 season, Bryant was up in the air about which shoe company he was leaning towards. Turning into the next premiere talent in the NBA, all shoe companies were gauging his interest in order to potentially sign him to a lucrative deal. Bryant began dabbling into wearing different shoes from varying companies, including a brief interaction with the Jordan brand.
The impending sneaker free agent donned some Air Jordan 3’s during the 2002-03 season, coming in a yellow, purple and white package. It turns out that those game-worn shoes were recently sold, for a ridiculous amount, via eBay. After 234 bids on the Air Jordan 3’s came in, the winning bid turned out to be an outstanding $30,400.
Those special Air Jordan 3’s were specifically designed for Bryant, as he tested out the shoes during a couple of games. The shoes were in size 14, which Bryant regularly wore. With a verified production date of Nov. 26, 2002, the shoes hauled in quite the value.
NBA sneakers have turned into quite the market in recent decades, with the value of rare shoes only increasing. Today’s All-Stars have all lined up to get an exclusive sneaker deal, in order to produce their own signature line of shoes. While the Jordan brand reigns supreme, Bryant and his total sneaker sales certainly are one of the more commendable totals.
The 18-time All-Star donned these shoes in games against the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs during the 2002-03 season. All in all, Bryant would go on to sign with Nike, agreeing to a four-year, $40 million deal.
