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Dan HajduckyDec 11, 2025, 01:34 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.
A 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Emblems of Endorsements card of Kobe Bryant recently sold for $1.22 million, including buyer’s premium, with Goldin Auctions.
It’s the third-highest public sale for a solo Bryant card of all time.
The card is autographed in blue ink, numbered 8/15 and graded near-mint 8 by Beckett Grading Services. It features two multicolored game-used patches cut from a then-No. 8 Bryant jersey.
A 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Emblems of Endorsements card of Kobe Bryant recently sold for $1.22 million, including buyerâ€s premium, with Goldin Auctions. Courtesy of Goldin Auctions
In the same Goldin auction, the Bryant card was one of four cards to top $500,000. The others: A 2005 Topps Finest SuperFractor die-cut Tom Brady card, which sold for $704,550; a 1997-98 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Red Michael Jordan card, which sold for $651,334; and a 1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Holo Illustrator Pikachu card, which sold for $610,000.
The all-time record paid for a sports card still belongs to one featuring Bryant. A one-of-one numbered, on-card autographed Bryant/Jordan Dual Logoman, purchased by Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, mega-collector Matt Allen (better known as Shyne150 in the collecting space) and entrepreneur Paul Warshaw for $12.932 million last August.
Now that his Hall-of-Fame basketball career is over, Pau Gasol is an avid golfer and part-time player in celebrity golf events. He joined this week’s Subpar podcast to talk about his game, how he got into it and more, but he also shared some stories about his time in the NBA, and some specifically about his Lakers teammate, the late Kobe Bryant.
Gasol was asked if he had any Kobe memory that stood out, and while he mentioned their relationship was good, it wasn’t until after his time with the Lakers when it actually improved.
“It was hard for us to let our guard down when we were teammates,” Gasol said on the podcast. “Once I decided to move on and sign with the Bulls we were kind of able to relax a lot more and connect on a deeper level, so go to more dinners and go to more lunches and talk about different stuff than basketball. Because when you are in it and you are in a position to win and you acknowledge you have that unique window to actually win championships, you have to be fully in it, and with a certain edge you need to maintain.”
He then discussed a viral moment from Netflix’s “The Redeem Team,” a documentary that aired in 2022 and covered the U.S. men’s basketball team’s journey to win gold at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. In one episode, when the U.S. was preparing to play against Gasol and Spain in a preliminary-round game, Bryant told his fellow Team USA members of a strategy he wanted to implement to set the tone for the game. Bryant told teammates he knew what play Spain would run to open the game, and he knew Gasol would be the one to set the last screen. Bryant said, in a cleaned-up version, “I’m going to run through him.”
“He tried to get right through me to send a message,” Gasol said on Netflix. “Not just to me but to his teammates to say, ‘Hey, this might be my brother, I play with him, we’re close, but I don’t care about anything else but winning.’”
Gasol said Bryant was “very intentional and determined” in everything he did, more than anyone he had ever met. That includes that same Olympics when Gasol said Bryant came to visit him at the Olympic Village prior to the aforementioned game. Someone told Gasol Kobe was looking for him and he responded, “Oh s—.”
“I always felt like he was softening me up, buttering me up,” Gasol said, “but on the court he was like telling his teammates, I’m just going through his f—– chestand I’m going to send a message and this is what I’m here to do and this is the mindset we all need to have.”
The San Francisco 49ers have already been depleted by injuries this season, and another key member of the defense has been lost for the season.
After being carted off in the first quarter of Sunday’s 30-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an air cast on his right leg, linebacker Fred Warner was diagnosed with a dislocated and broken right ankle, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.
He will need surgery and miss the remainder of the season. On Monday, Warner released a statement to fans on Instagram and included an inspirational quote from Kobe Bryant:
“There’s certain games you wake up knowing it’s gonna be your day, and yesterday was one of those days,” Warner posted on Instagram on Monday. “I knew I was bout to go off, and then boom everything over in one instant that was completely unpreventable. The love everyone has shown me and the prayers being had for me mean the world to me. Some ask why I was able to smile on the cart heading in and it’s because (aside from the shock) I have complete peace in knowing Gods plan is so completely perfect and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I’ve had the privilege of being able to have a very healthy 8 seasons and now it’s time to inspire through the comeback I’m bout to have. It will be LEGENDARY and right on time God willing. Thank you guys, love always GO NINERSðŸðŸ¾â¤ï¸”
Warner, who agreed to a three-year, $63 million extension that made him the league’s highest-paid linebacker this offseason, is not only one of the 49ers’ best defensive players, but one of the best players in the entire NFL.
Through five games, the veteran had racked up 50 tackles, two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. His 28 solo tackles are the fifth-most in the NFL this year. Needless to say, losing Warner for any amount of time would be a huge loss for the 49ers defense.
San Francisco has arguably had the worst injury luck of any team so far this season. The Niners came into Sunday’s matchup missing Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall and more, and a depleted roster has been the story all year.
Yet the 49ers have managed to thrive even with all the injuries. They came into Sunday 4-1, sitting in first place in the NFC West after last week’s overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Much of San Francisco’s success can be attributed to the unexpected breakout of backup quarterback Mac Jones, who came into Sunday having thrown for 905 yards, six touchdowns and an interception in three starts, all of which were wins.
Even if Jones keeps up his tremendous play, losing Warner will be a significant downgrade.
Warner, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the Niners, has missed just one game since coming into the league, and he played through a broken bone in his ankle in 2024.
Natalia Bryant has made her debut as a creative director with a short film that features a subject matter with which she’s very familiar.
The 70-second piece is called “Forever Iconic: Purple and Gold Always,” and it’s all about the worldwide impact of the Lakers — something Bryant has experienced throughout her life as the oldest daughter of one of the Lakers’ great icons, Kobe Bryant.
The film, posted online Wednesday by the Lakers, is a fast-paced tribute to the team and its fans. It features a number of celebrity cameos — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani takes batting practice wearing a Lakers cap; current Lakers star Luka Doncic yells “Kobe!” as he shoots a towel into a hamper; fashion designer Jeff Hamilton creates a number of Lakers jackets; actor Brenda Song obsessively watches and cheers for the team on her computer; Lakers legend Magic Johnson declares, “It’s Showtime, baby!”
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Mixed in are shots of regular fans paying tribute to the team in their own ways.
“This project was an amazing, collaborative environment with such creative people and we all came together to try and portray the Lakers†impact, not only in L.A. but around the world,” Natalia Bryant said in a statement released by the Lakers. “Everyone has their own connection to the Lakers. I hope those who already love this team watch this project and remember what that pride feels like. And if youâ€re not a Lakers fan yet, I hope you watch this, and it makes you want to be.â€
Bryant, who graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in May, included some famous Lakers clips, such as LeBron James arguing, “It’s our ball, ain’t it?” and her father hitting a buzzer-beating shot against the Phoenix Suns during the 2006 playoffs.
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“Such an honor to be apart of this project!” Bryant wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @lakers for having me join as creative director💛lakers family forever”
Lakers controlling owner and president Jeanie Buss also posted the video on Instagram.
“Cheers to the millions of fans around the world who make the Lakers the most popular team in the NBA!!” Buss wrote. “You are the best fans in the league. Congratulations and huge thanks to the amazing @nataliabryant who helped bring this film to life for her creative director debut.”
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Lakers superfan Song also posted a number of photos related to the project on Instagram, including one of herself with Bryant.
“Lake show for life,” Song wrote.
Bryant responded in the comments, “For life!”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Anthony GharibOct 8, 2025, 04:01 PM ET
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The Los Angeles Lakers turned to a familiar face to be the creative director of their preseason hype video: Natalia Bryant.
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Bryant had a star-studded cast for the “Forever Iconic: Purple and Gold Always” video with Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, Lakers legend Magic Johnson and actor and noted Lakers fan Brenda Song all having a role. Celebrity jacket designer Jeff Hamilton also made an appearance.
It included moments such as Song re-creating a viral LeBron James meme where he yells: “it’s our ball, ain’t it?” and Luka Doncic yelling “Kobe” as he performs a stepback move to shoot a towel into a trash can. Johnson appears toward the end, holding a Larry O’Brien Trophy and saying: “It’s Showtime, baby.” Natalia, the eldest daughter of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, also included a clip of her father’s iconic game winner against the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA playoffs.
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Natalia wrote on Instagram that it was “such an honor” to be part of the project. She also wrote “Lakers family forever” in the caption.
She graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in May. She also appeared in a Nike commercial with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in August to promote the Kobe 3 Protro.
The Lakers’ regular season tips off against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.
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Dan HajduckyOct 2, 2025, 02:37 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.
The first No. 24 jersey worn by Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers recently sold for $889,000, including buyer’s premium, at Sotheby’s.
A jersey used by Jerry West from 1964 to 1967 also sold for $533,400 on the same night.
Bryant wore the jersey while posting 23 points in a 118-112 victory against the Seattle Supersonics on Nov. 3, 2006. He would score 50 points or more in a game on 10 occasions in that 2006-07 season en route to his second straight — and final — league scoring title.
Lakers star Kobe Bryant wore this jersey — his first with No. 24 — while scoring 23 points in a 118-112 victory against the Seattle Supersonics on Nov. 3, 2006. It recently sold for $889,000 at auction. Courtesy of Sotheby’s
The jersey is signed by him with the inscriptions “FIRST 24” and “1/1” on the jersey’s numbers, including an Upper Deck hologram, as the company had an autograph and memorabilia deal with Bryant until 2009.
MeiGray Authenticated also photo-matched the jersey to the Lakers’ 2006 media day in October.
The most ever paid for any Bryant jersey is $7 million — for a jersey that was photo-matched to seven games from his 1996-97 rookie season. That jersey was sold by Sotheby’s in April.
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West’s jersey was definitively worn during Game 6 of the 1965 and 1966 Western Division finals and Game 2 of the 1966 NBA Finals, according to photo-matching by Sports Investors Authentication.
SIA’s letter of authenticity states the jersey was “likely” worn during both the 1965 and 1966 NBA Finals. The Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in both those series, with West averaging 33.8 and 33.9 points per game, respectively.
The West jersey lot also included a warm-up jacket, shorts and socks, which the auction house “also believes to be game-worn.” In 1967, Frank O’Neill, a former Lakers trainer, received the items when the team moved to The Forum and they’ve remained in a private collection until now.
A collector purchased a jersey photo-matched to four games from the 1969-70 Lakers season for $868,000 in May, an all-time record for a West item.
The jersey that Wayne Gretzky wore in his final NHL game for the New York Rangers on April 18, 1999, was predicted to sell for more than $1 million, but Sotheby’s confirmed that bidding didn’t meet a set reserve price and the jersey went unsold.
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