Kobe Bryant Championship Ring Sets Record After Selling For Close To $1 Million At Auction

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There’s plenty of demand for memorabilia linked to the late, great Kobe Bryant, which includes the championship ring that set a record after hitting the auction block.

Kobe Bryant became the second-youngest player in NBA history when he made his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, and it didn’t take him very long to emerge as one of the most electric young talents in the game while forming one of the most formidable duos in the league alongside Shaquille O’Neal.

When everything was said and done, Bryant would win five championships with the Lakers over the course of a legendary career that spanned 20 seasons. He earned his first one in 2000 when the Lakers topped the Pacers in six games, which marked the start of a dynasty that saw the franchise win three consecutive titles before his relationship with Shaq fell apart.

The first championship was obviously a special one for the man known as the “Black Mamba,” and when the Lakers commissioned a jeweler to design rings made of 14K gold and covered in 40 diamonds to commemorate the achievement, Bryant ordered a replica of the one he received to give to his dad Joe (who never won a title during the eight seasons he played in the NBA).

In 2013, that ring made headlines when it ended up at the center of a lawsuit Kobe filed after learning his parents were attempting to sell it along with other pieces of memorabilia in their possession. They’d previously had a falling out over his decision to get engaged to his wife Vanessa (they didn’t attend his wedding) and that auction led to him giving them the silent treatment for years.

The ring ultimately sold for $173,000, and last month, its new owner decided to link back up with Goldin Auctions in the hopes they’d get a return on their investment.

It’s safe to say that ended up being the case, as the ring attracted more than 40 bids before selling for $927,200 to set a new record for an NBA championship ring (the piece of bling Bill Russell won with the Celtics in 1957 had set the mark to beat when it sold for $705,000 in 2021).

Not too shabby.