Unseen photos of Kobe Bryant will be auctioned off as NFT to benefit his charity

Memories of Kobe Bryant never waned in popularity after the superstar retired, and after his death in a helicopter crash in 2020, the demand grew again. Shoes and jerseys continue to sell in huge volumes, but as of Tuesday, August 24, a much rarer piece of Bryant’s career has gone on sale.

Cryptograph, a digital collectibles company, has released eight NFTs featuring photographs of Bryant that have never been seen, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The photos themselves were taken in 1999 by photographer Davis Factor (who holds a Los Angeles Lakers season pass) at an abandoned warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. The images are in black and white and feature Bryant in a number of different outfits. The eight are individually titled “Easy”, “I See You”, “Jump”, “Leather”, “Sexy”, “Style”, “The Kiss” and “Time”. The images can be seen here.

“This shoot is special because you don’t see him in a bathing suit,” says Tommy Alastra, Cryptograph co-founder. “It’s Kobe Bean Bryant. You can see the father, son, husband come out. It’s just him, gross, in everyday Kobe. It’s special.… They’re really, really handsome.”

All profits from sales of the “KOBE” Collection will be donated to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. The auction is not a formal partnership with the Bryant Trust, but the proceeds from secondary sales will also go to its foundation.

The decision to start the auction on August 24 was no accident. During his career with the Lakers, Bryant wore No.8 from his 1996-97 rookie season to the 2005-06 season. Subsequently, he rose to No.24 for the rest of his career. August is the eighth month of the year, so Los Angeles and Orange County have made the 24th into Kobe Bryant Day. Numbers 8 and 24 are retired at Staples Center in honor of Bryant. The NFTs were auctioned at 10:00 am PT on Tuesday and will remain in place for 72 hours.