Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant stayed in the game against the Golden State Warriors to score two penalty kicks despite the serious injury.

 "There is no moment in Kobe's career more emblematic of the 'Mumba mentality' than the 'Achilles Game,'" Sotheby's auction house wrote in the description accompanying the auction.

The Basketball Hall of Fame star died at the age of 41 in a January 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in which eight other people lost their lives, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

"Sotheby's valued the Nike Kobe 8 Elite sneakers at between $600,000 (£483,000) and $800,000 (£645,000).

A number of Bryant's other items have sold for high prices at auctions since his death. His jersey from the same match in 2013 was sold for $1.2 million (£967,000) in June 2024.

In 2023, a jersey signed and worn by Bryant in the 2007/08 season was sold for more than $5.8 million (£4.6 million). It was the second most expensive basketball jersey ever sold. | BBC, BGNES