A 2000 Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship ring originally gifted from Kobe Bryant to his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, sold for $927,000 over the weekend, via Goldin, a sports collectibles house.
43 bids were made in the March Elite Auction — resulting in the most money ever paid for an NBA championship ring. The identity of the buyer has not been revealed to the public.
According to the item's provenance (provided to Goldin), it was the only championship ring the Lakers legend personally gave his father. Joe Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA (1975-83) and overseas in Europe.
The 14-karat ring, featuring 40 diamonds, is a replica of the one Kobe kept for himself. It was originally consigned to Goldin in 2013 by Kobe's parents and soon sold for $173,000 — at the time, the highest price ever for an NBA ring. For the most recent sale, the 2013 buyer consigned the ring, along with a letter of authenticity from Joe and Pam Bryant.
You can see an image of the ring in the embedded post below. The name “BRYANT” is etched on the side.
Kobe Bryant’s 2000 NBA championship ring has now set multiple records➡️ https://t.co/J3elgejBek
The ring is now the most expensive NBA title ring sold at auction, going for $927,200 during the March Elite Auction held by @GoldinCo.
— Sportico (@Sportico) April 1, 2024
A game-worn Kobe jersey from the title season of 2009-10 was also auctioned off, among other items connected to the first-ballot Hall of Famer.
A winning $151,000 offer was made on March 26, which became $184,220 after Goldin’s 22% buyer premium. 19 bids were submitted on the final day of the auction, raising the winning bid to $760,000 (before the premium), per Sportico.
The record for the most expensive piece of basketball jewelry ever sold had been Bill Russell's 1957 Boston Celtics championship ring — his first of 11 titles in 13 seasons — which sold for $705,000 in 2021.
The overall record price paid for a championship ring in American sports at auction is $2.1 million (by the actor Charlie Sheen) for Babe Ruth's 1927 New York Yankees World Series ring.
The 2000 NBA Finals was a memorable coming-out party for the ascendant Lakers superstar. 21-year-old Kobe, and league MVP Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to 67 wins in the regular season. In Game 4 against the rugged Indiana Pacers, Kobe memorably closed the deal in overtime while O'Neal battled foul trouble. The Lakers won the series in six games, then the next two titles.
Bryant also led the Lakers to rings in 2009 and 2010. He retired in 2016 as the Lakers' all-time scoring leader and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
On December 18, 2017, Kobe became the first player in NBA history to have two numbers retired by a franchise, as his No. 8 and No. 24 were lifted in the then-Staples Center rafters.
In Jan. 2020, Kobe, his daughter Gianna, and seven others tragically perished in a helicopter crash.
This past February, Bryant was immortalized alongside Lakers legends Shaq, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Chick Hearn — among other hallowed Los Angeles sports figures —with a statue in Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena. Two more Kobe busts will be unveiled at a yet-to-be-announced date and location, per the Lakers.
Lakers fans, governor Jeanie Buss, and Bryant's widow, Vanessa colloquially refer to the Lakers' arena as “The House That Kobe Built.”
Kobe Bryant murals can be seen all around Los Angeles, and the world.
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