Bryant's Lakers debut jersey sells for $7m

Kobe Bryant (left) pictured in 1996, the year he made his NBA debut

The jersey worn by Kobe Bryant on his Los Angeles Lakers debut in 1996 has sold for $7m (£5.26m) at auction.

The jersey, worn by Bryant during his 1996-1997 rookie season, becomes the fourth-most expensive game-worn sports jersey of all time.

The American spent his entire career with the Lakers, winning the NBA Championship five times and being crowned the Most Valuable Player once in 2008.

The jersey was first sold for $115,242 in 2013, seven years before Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash.

"Debut games are truly one-of-a-kind moments in an athlete's career," said Brahm Wachter, head of modern collectibles at auctioneers Sotheby's.

Babe Ruth's "called shot" jersey, sold for $24m in August, remains the most expensive match-worn item of sports memorabilia sold at auction.

Second on the list is the $10.1m spent on Michael Jordan's "Last Dance" jersey from his final season with the Chicago Bulls, followed by the $8.8m spent on Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" shirt, worn during Argentina's World Cup quarter-final victory against England in 1986.

Bryant made his NBA debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 3 November 1996.

He ended his rookie season as an all-star pick and was named an all-star 18 times during his 20-year career.

He is fourth on the NBA's all-time scorer list, with 33,643 points.

Bryant's match-worn Lakers debut jersey