A treasure trove of remarkable sports memorabilia is set to hit the auction block in New York next month, featuring iconic items like Muhammad Ali’s shorts from the 1975 “Thrilla in Manila” and Kobe Bryant’s jersey worn in the 2009 NBA Finals.
Sotheby’s Sports Week will showcase prized possessions from legends across basketball, baseball, football, tennis, and hockey, including Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Ernie Banks, Carlos Alcaraz, and Wayne Gretzky. Valued between $500,000 and $6 million each, these items are expected to attract fervent bidding, with the total sale estimated to exceed $12 million.
The exhibition will run from April 5 to 11, with live sales and online auctions taking place from March 27 to April 15. Among the standout items are Muhammad Ali’s shorts worn during his historic victory over Joe Frazier in the Philippines in October 1975. These white shorts, worn in Ali’s third and final bout against Frazier, are anticipated to fetch up to $6 million, marking them as one of the most valuable pieces from the boxing legend’s life and career ever to be auctioned.
Also up for grabs are LeBron James’ Lakers jerseys, including the one from the game where he reached 38,000 NBA points (expected to sell for up to $500,000) and his 2024 NBA All-Star Game jersey ($300,000). Kobe Bryant’s jersey from Game 1 of the 2009 Finals is also on offer, estimated to fetch up to $2.5 million.
In addition to jerseys, the auction features iconic footwear like Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan 11s from Game 5 of the 1996 NBA Finals (up to $400,000), part of a collection of 50 sneakers worn by NBA greats such as LeBron James, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bryant, and Yao Ming.
Among the baseball memorabilia is Ernie Banks’ jersey worn during his 500th career home run, valued at $500,000, a testament to the Chicago Cubs legend’s remarkable career.
