Update: Kobe Bryant’s 2000 Championship Ring That He Gifted To His Father Sells For Nearly $1 Million

Update: Kobe Bryant’s 2000 Championship Ring That He Gifted To His Father Sells For Nearly $1 Million

Update (April 1, 2024): Kobe Bryant’s championship ring is no longer on the market. The sentimental piece officially sold at an auction for $927,000 via auction platform Goldin.

The 2000 championship ring features 14 karats and has BRYANT engraved on one side as well as the 11 1/2 ring size and weight of 59.6 grams. Pam and Joe Bryant first put the ring up for auction with Goldin in 2013. It sold for $173,000. That buyer then put it up for sale recently, providing an authenticity letter, per multiple outlets.

Original Story (March 19, 2024): Kobe Bryant’s parents are in hot water with fans after auctioning off a piece of his history.

The basketball legend’s Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship ring from his first championship in 2000 is available for bidding. Fans call the move “disgusting” because the late NBA star gifted it to his father, Joe Bryant, who also played in the NBA from 1975 to 1983. 

Below are reactions from fans on X.

Although the ring is the exact make and design of the rings given to Kobe Bryant and other Lakers players that championship year, it’s only a replica and is not the executive version. 

As of Tuesday (March 19), the ring’s highest bid on the Goldin Auctions website is $94,000. The auction ends on Saturday, March 30. The ring is 14k Gold and comes with 40 Diamonds.

Some fans believe Kobe’s ring being available for bidding likely stems from the rift between the late superstar and his parents, Pam and Joe Bryant. It reportedly started when Kobe decided to get engaged to his now-widowed wife, Vanessa Bryant. His parents supposedly disapproved of their son’s devotion to her because of her heritage and the fact that she was 18 and Kobe was 21 when they got engaged. As a result, his parents did not attend their wedding.

Vanessa & Kobe Bryant

Even though Kobe and his parents briefly reconciled after he and Vanessa Bryant welcomed their first of four daughters, Natalia, in 2003, their relationship remained strained. In 2013, Pam and Joe Bryant were reportedly caught selling the late Los Angeles Lakers icon’s memorabilia, such as Championship rings and high school uniforms, at the same auction house they’re using now, Goldin Auctions. 

Kobe filed lawsuits against his parents and the auction house. He won the lawsuit and received a public apology from his parents.

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom

In an interview with ESPN, Kobe admitted that he was displeased with his relationship with his parents and that they decided to sell his memorabilia for extra money.

“Our relationship is sh*t. I say [to them], ‘I’m going to buy you a very nice home, and the response is, ‘That’s not good enough’? Then you’re selling my sh*t?”

Kobe and daughter Gianna Bryant were among nine victims who died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020. It’s unclear whether Joe, Pam, and Kobe reconciled their relationship before the untimely death, however, they were present during his memorial. 

How do you feel about Kobe Bryant’s parents auctioning off the championship ring he once gifted to his father? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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