Kobe Bryant's 2000 NBA Finals championship ring has been sold for a record price at a recent auction.
On Saturday, Goldin, a collectible marketplace, announced via the platform formerly known as Twitter that Bryant's first championship ring from the 2000 NBA Finals was sold for a record $927,200. That number broke the record set by Bill Russell's 1957 championship ring, which sold for $705,000 in 2021.
"Obtained directly from the Bryant family, this ring is a true one-of-a-kind, and we can confirm that it is the only championship ring ever given by Kobe to his father," Goldin said.
The ring is made of 14k gold and contains 40 diamonds, along with the Los Angeles Lakers logo and the word "World Champions" on the front. On one side of the ring are the words "Ring Bling" and the year the Lakers won, while the other has the late Laker legend's name and the team's regular season and postseason records (67-15 and 15-8). Bryant's first number, 8, is found on the underside of the ring.
Bryant gifted his first championship ring to his father, Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant, who auctioned it off through Goldin. This wasn't the first time Kobe's dad tried to sell his sports memorabilia.
In 2013, Kobe sued his parents after they tried to sell much of his NBA memorabilia, including the 2000 ring. In a statement, Bryant's parents apologized for trying to sell his stuff.
"We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia," they said at the time. "We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years."
Kobe's relationship with his parents wasn't the best, as he admitted several times, including in a 2016 interview where he said he wasn't speaking to them. One of the most famous displays of his strained relationship with his parents came from his second championship ring in 2001.
In a series of photos from the postgame celebration, Kobe was holding the Larry O'Brien trophy while looking distraught in the locker room. The story behind the iconic photo was that Kobe was upset that his parents did not attend the 2001 NBA Finals due to not approving of his marriage to Vanessa Bryant.
