The sneakers worn by basketball legend Kobe Bryant during his unforgettable 2013 “Achilles Game” have been auctioned for a staggering $660,000 (£532,000).
Bryant, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Golden State Warriors, tore his Achilles tendon late in the fourth quarter but remarkably stayed on the court to sink two crucial free throws before leaving for treatment.
“There is no moment in Kobe’s career more emblematic of the ‘Mamba Mentality’ than ‘The Achilles Game,’” stated Sotheby’s, which handled the auction of the Nike Kobe 8 Elite sneakers. The shoes had been expected to fetch between $600,000 and $800,000.
Bryant, an NBA Hall of Famer, tragically passed away at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash in January 2020, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in Calabasas, California.
The legendary game took place on April 12, 2013, when Bryant, then 34, initially suffered a hyperextended knee in the second half. Later, with just three minutes remaining, he fell to the floor clutching his left heel after sustaining the Achilles tear.
“As soon as I made the move, I knew it. It feels like the shock absorbers in the back of your foot are just gone,” Bryant recalled at the time.
Despite the severe injury, he hobbled back onto the court to drain two free throws before the Lakers fouled to stop the clock, allowing him to exit for medical attention. Bryant finished the game with 34 points, helping the Lakers secure a narrow 118-116 victory over Steph Curry and the Warriors.
Since Bryant’s passing, several of his memorabilia pieces have sold for record-breaking sums. His jersey from the same 2013 game was auctioned for $1.2 million (£967,000) in June 2024. In 2023, a signed jersey from his 2007-08 MVP season sold for over $5.8 million (£4.6 million), making it the second-most expensive basketball jersey ever sold, according to ESPN.
SOURCE: BBC
Join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakDz4u9RZATWh53yC1a
