2009 Los Angeles Lakers — Kobe Bryant #24

The ring that answered every "not without Shaq" argument.

Illustration of a purple 2009 Los Angeles Lakers jersey, number 24, with gold trim

Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Player: Kobe Bryant, #24
Season: 2008–09
Era: First title of the post-Shaq Lakers, Finals MVP season
Value tier: Top of the market

After the 2004 Finals loss and years of rebuilding, Kobe led the Lakers past the Orlando Magic in 2009 to win his fourth title and first Finals MVP — the championship that finally separated his legacy from Shaquille O'Neal's in the public argument over who mattered more to the three-peat years.

Why it holds value: the #24 era (as opposed to his earlier #8) is the more heavily collected Kobe number specifically because it's tied to the championships he won as the unambiguous leader of the team — and demand for anything #24 has only intensified since his passing in 2020.

Condition notes: 2008–09 was an Finals-patch season, so the presence and stitching quality of that patch is one of the first things buyers check when authenticating a genuine game-era piece versus a plain retail jersey from the same year.