Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, father of the late basketball star Kobe Bryant, has auctioned off his son’s 2000 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers ring.
Listed on the online auction site Goldin on March 9, Bryant Sr., 69, listed a 14K gold ring with 40 diamonds inscribed with the words “LAKERS,” “WORLD CHAMPIONS” and “BRYANT,” along with his jersey number, “8 ,” in gold. However, it is not the original version of the ring, as Kobe ordered it as an exact replica especially for his father, keeping the main one for himself.
2000 was a memorable year for the Los Angeles team, as well as for Kobe – the team won the NBA championship in a six-game series over the Indiana Pacers. During his career, Kobe won a total of five championships, all during his legendary career with the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant #8 of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a photo with his parents after winning the NBA championship on June 19, 2000.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty
According to Los Angeles TimesKobe gave his parents the ring when he gave it to him, and they originally considered selling it in 2013 along with a large collection of memorabilia from Bryant’s career, including uniforms from his time at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania.
The late player sued Joe and his mother Pamela, alleging that he did not give them permission to sell the items. In the end, they settled, and Bryant’s parents wrote in a statement that they “regret our actions and statements regarding the Kobe Bryant memorabilia auction.”
“We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintentional pain we may have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided us over the years,” they said in a statement at the time.
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Some critics of Joe’s choice to put the ring up for auction have questioned why he wouldn’t want to keep the item, given that Kobe (along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other family friends) died in a January 2020 helicopter crash.
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Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers shows off his 2009 NBA Championship ring before the 2009 season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Andrew D.Bernstein/NBAE via Getty
The late star’s relationship with his parents was extremely difficult – Joe, a former NBA player, and Pamela were rumored to have broken up with their son back in 2001, since they did not attend his wedding to Vanessa Bryant in April of that year.
Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant’s relationship: A look back at their romance
Although Kobe and his father were reportedly on better terms by the time Joe joined the Los Angeles Sparks as a coach in 2005, the 2013 lawsuit fueled the rumors. Kobe’s parents were also noticeably absent during their son’s last NBA game in April 2016.
Bidding for the ring ends on March 30, and as of Thursday afternoon, the price goes up to $141,000.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education