Aug. 24 (8/24) is Kobe Bryant Day. In celebration of the day honoring one of the greatest NBA players of all time, we decided to do a little digging and uncover some of the best vintage Kobe merch of all time.
Sure, there’s a lot of sneakers, but we’re leaving those alone for this list. From parking lot bootleg T-shirts to streetwear collabs to some of the craziest leather jackets you have ever seen, there’s has been tons of incredible Kobe gear over the years too. We aren’t just talking about the typical purple and gold Lakers jerseys and tees this time.
Fair warning, most of these items are either expensive, incredibly rare, or both. Since the vintage market is so volatile, we were unable to provide exact pricing for these pieces, but happy hunting. These are 10 of the best pieces of vintage Kobe Bryant merch.
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Blue Lakers Throwback Jersey
Year(s): 1996-97, 2003-04
Fabolous’ fit in the “Trade It All Pt. 2” video is a big reason why this jersey lives on so many years later, but Fab would have never rocked it if it weren’t for Kobe. Kobe wore this in a few games in the 1996-97 and 2003-04 seasons when the Lakers wore this ‘60s throwback as a special alternate. Surely, any Kobe fan has a purple and gold jersey already, but make sure you have this one too. Mitchell & Ness makes a modern throwback that’s more accessible, but bonus points if you can come up on an OG Champion version from the ‘90s or Nike edition from the 2000s.
Charlotte Hornets Sports Specialties Shadow Hat
Year: 1996
Kobe may have never actually played a single minute for the Charlotte Hornets, but he was originally drafted by the team with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. That means that there is photo evidence of him rocking one of the best hat designs of all time on draft night. That makes this one a fun, random piece of Kobe’s story. Plus, who doesn’t love ‘90s Hornets gear?
Kobe Bryant Coin T-Shirt
Year(s): 2000s
They just don’t make sports graphic tees like the used to. If you do some searching, you will be able to track down a bunch of versions of this particular style that was made for multiple NBA superstars. They’re all great. Kobe’s is one of the best.
Kobe “Broken Not Beaten” X-Ray T-Shirt
Year: 2010
This tee released in celebration of Kobe’s fifth ring. It featured all five pieces of hardware on an x-ray of Kobe’s hand that pointed out the various injuries he played through during that last championship run. Kobe wore a black and gold version to the championship parade. The graphic is so iconic that Nike even brought it back in 2024 for a run in a handful of different colorways. But nothing beats the original.
Adidas x Hot Toys Kobe Bryant Action Figure
Year: 2001
All of the greatest cultural icons have action figures. Kobe is no different. This particular Kobe figure was created to help promote the release of the Adidas Kobe Two. He’s rocking a miniature pair of the infamous signature sneaker with a leather tracksuit (more on that in a second). The back of the box also features an incredible tag line: “The closest duplication possible of the player who could never possibly be duplicated.”
Adidas Kobe Hooded Leather Jacket
Year: 2001
Whether you grabbed that Kobe action figure and want to match it or just want an insane vintage jacket, here you go. To help promote the Kobe line in 2001, Adidas was dropping ultra premium leather gear. From the silver “Frobe” logo hardware to the perforated leather, the details on this thing are just incredible. The premium execution makes sense when you remember that the Adidas Kobe Two sneaker took design cues from the Audi TT Roadster luxury sports car.
UNDFTD MVPuppets T-Shirt
Year: 2009
UNDFTD’s collection of Nike Kobe collabs is impressive. One of the best of the bunch is this under the radar graphic T-shirt. The design nods to some of the greatest Nike commercials of all time: the multi-part MVPuppets series and the Hyperdunk ad where Kobe jumped over a speeding Aston Martin. The streetwear brand’s U Man logo is hopping over a sports convertible being driven by Kobe on the front of the shirt. What’s not to love?
Nike Kobe x STASH x NORT Destroyer Jacket
Year: 2006
This super rare Destoyer varsity jacket was released in a pack alongside a special edition colorway of the Nike Zoom Kobe 1. The black wool body and leather sleeves are accented by purple hits like a giant chenille Kobe Sheath logo on the chest and “KOBE” written in STASH’s signature style on the back. You could only buy them at NORT and Juice stores in New York City and via a charity auction, making his jacket one of the rarest pieces of Kobe apparel ever made.
Bootleg Lakers 2000 NBA Champions T-Shirt
Year: 2000
Bootleg is always better. Case in point, this tee that was probably sold in the parking lot outside of the Staples Center after the Lakers won the 2000 NBA Finals. This graphic design style will just always look good, no matter the subjects.
Jeff Hamilton 2000 NBA Championship Jacket
Year: 2001
We all know the photo. An emotional Kobe Bryant sits in the locker room showers coddling the Larry O’Brien trophy and wearing this masterpiece of a jacket. It’s one of the most iconic photographs in the history of sports. Original jackets are close to impossible to track down online, so shoutout to Jeff Hamilton. He is still making them to order on his website to this day.
