Kobe Bryant “Lakers” Message From 8th Grade Up For Auction

Another piece of celebrity memorabilia is set to hit the auction block. There have been numerous Kobe Bryant related products offered up for auction in the last month since the beloved basketball icon died in a helicopter accident. Some sellers have used to opportunity to cash in while others have hocked fake items to scam the public. This latest item is said to be the real deal and features a sweet foreshadowing message from the Los Angeles Lakers legend.

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According to a report made by TMZ, Iconic Auctions will be selling off a middle school yearbook that features a message from Bryant. In 1992, the basketball star was just a 13-year-old eighth-grader attending Bala Cynwyd Middle School in Pennsylvania. After his father retired from the NBA when Bryant was six-years-old, he moved his family to Italy. The Bryants remained there until Kobe was 13.

TMZ shares that because Bryant arrived in the middle of the school year, he doesn’t have a traditional photo included in the student lineup of the yearbook. The teen is only shown in the basketball team’s picture and signed his friend’s yearbook by writing: “In a few years you probably will be dunking on me. Not!! How bout those Lakers. Your friend Kobe Bryant #24.”

Four years later, a 17-year-old, fresh-out-of-high-school Bryant became a Laker. Iconic Auctions stated that the auction for the yearbook closes in just a few days and is expected to fetch $20K. Check out the yearbook message below.