PRESENTS

THE GOLD MAMBA

CURRENT BID—

THE BIRTH OFTHE BLACKMAMBA

From March 5 through May 31, 2004, this gold No. 8 jersey followed Bryant through one of the defining stretches of his career, during the season in which he would later say the Black Mamba alter ego was born.

While wearing it, Bryant delivered a 38-point return from injury, his 45-point season high, 36 points and the unforgettable Circus Shot against Houston, and a 42-point playoff performance against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

ACROSS ITS 17 DOCUMENTED GAMES,
THE LAKERS WENT 16–1.

A PERFECT

IN THE PLAYOFFS

BRYANT WORE THE JERSEY EIGHT TIMESDURING THE 2004 NBA PLAYOFFS.

Back of Kobe Bryant’s gold number 8 Lakers jersey

Front of Kobe Bryant’s gold number 8 Lakers jersey

THE LAKERSWON ALLEIGHT

Those victories included the series-clinching game against Houston, the clincher against defending champion San Antonio, and the Western Conference Finals clincher against Minnesota that sent Los Angeles back to the NBA Finals.

Bryant finished the postseason with an NBA-leading 539 points as the Lakers captured the Western Conference championship in the final playoff run of the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal era.

THE GAMESBEHIND THE JERSEY

SEVENTEEN GAMES. SIXTEEN WINS. EIGHT PLAYOFF VICTORIES.

FOUR PERFORMANCES STAND OUT IN THE REMARKABLE RUN
DOCUMENTED TO THIS JERSEY.

THE
RETURN

MARCH 15, 2004 · VS. ORLANDO MAGIC

After suffering a shoulder injury just 54 seconds into his previous appearance in the jersey, Bryant returned and scored 38 points, including 24 in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers erased a 19-point deficit and won in overtime.

THE SEASON-
HIGH 45

APRIL 13, 2004 · VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Bryant poured in a season-high 45 points with seven rebounds and eight assists, leading the Lakers back from a fourth-quarter deficit for a 109–104 victory.

THE CIRCUS
SHOT

APRIL 19, 2004 · VS. HOUSTON ROCKETS

In Game 2 of the First Round, Bryant erupted for 36 points in a Lakers victory, punctuated by one of the defining highlights of the postseason: the unforgettable Circus Shot over Yao Ming.

42 AGAINST
THE CHAMPS

MAY 11, 2004 · VS. SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Facing the defending NBA champions after falling behind 0–2 in the series, Bryant delivered 42 points, six rebounds and five assists to even the series at 2–2.

Gold embroidered NBA Finals trophy patch

THE FINALSPATCH

Following the Lakers’ Western Conference championship, the jersey received the NBA Finals patch associated with the team’s return to the Finals.
Although Bryant did not ultimately wear this jersey during the Finals, it remains directly tied to the run that brought Los Angeles there: worn in all three Western Conference series-clinching victories and eight playoff wins without a loss.

TODAY, IT STANDS AS THE ONLY GAME-WORN KOBE BRYANT NO. 8 JERSEY WITH AN NBA FINALS PATCH TO COME TO MARKET.

SIGNED BYKOBE

Beyond its extensive game-worn history, the jersey bears Kobe Bryant’s signature. It is the final personal mark on a jersey connected to 17 games, some of the defining performances of his No. 8 era, and the Lakers’ final Finals run with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal together.

“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS YOU MUST PUT EVERYBODY ON NOTICE THAT YOU’RE HERE AND YOU ARE FOR REAL.”— KOBE BRYANT

The jersey is supported by an exceptional authentication record, including professional SIA photomatching across 17 games, an original Los Angeles Lakers Certificate of Authenticity, and extensive documentation establishing its game-worn history and provenance.

The Realest Certified the jersey following a comprehensive review of its physical characteristics, provenance, photomatching, authentication and supporting documentation.

KOBE NO. 8AT AUCTION

KOBE BRYANT’S MOST SIGNIFICANT GAME-WORN NO. 8 JERSEYS HAVE ESTABLISHED SOME OF THE HIGHEST PRICES EVER ACHIEVED FOR BASKETBALL MEMORABILIA.

ONLY THREE COMPARABLE KOBE BRYANT NO. 8 GAME-WORN JERSEYS HAVE PREVIOUSLY SOLD PUBLICLY, EACH FROM HIS ROOKIE SEASON.

$7,000,000

1996–97 ROOKIE
DEBUT JERSEY

2025

$3,690,000

1996–97 ROOKIE
JERSEY

2021

$2,735,546

1996–97 ROOKIE
PLAYOFF JERSEY

2022

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