NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a tragic helicopter crash three years ago, but the love of his fans will never fade away.
A jersey worn by Bryant was auctioned for a whopping $5.8 million on Thursday at the Sotheby's in New York.
The price is a new record for any Bryant item at auction but came in under the upper pre-sale estimate of $7 million.
The price was comfortably more than the previous high of $3.7 million paid for a jersey worn by the Los Angeles Lakers titan, who won five NBA titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" jersey sold for $9.3 million at Sotheby's in London last year.
Bryant's iconic yellow-and-purple number 24 jersey, put up for sale by an anonymous owner, was worn by the legendary Laker in 25 games during the 2007-2008 season, Bryant's only as the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
In one of those appearances -- a post-season game against the Denver Nuggets on April 23, 2008 -- photographers famously captured Bryant celebrating after a successful three-point shot, gripping his jersey and letting out a primal scream.
The image has since been plastered on walls around the world by street artists, especially in Los Angeles, where Bryant played his entire professional career.
The last time this jersey was put up for auction, in 2013, it only fetched $18,678.
Among the game-worn sports memorabilia auctioned to date, Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey stands as the most valuable, sold for $10.1 million in September last year.
(With agency inputs)
