The Lakers championship ring Kobe Bryant gifted his mother has resold in auction for big money following his untimely death.
Back in 2000, Kobe had two championship rings made for both his parents Joe and Pamela Bryant. Both parents would later put their rings up for auction back in 2013 which led to Kobe to stop speaking to them.
Via ESPN
For instance, Kobe hasn’t spoken to his parents in nearly three years. Not since 2013, when they tried to auction off his high school memorabilia without his consent.
“Our relationship is sh*t,” he says. “I say [to them], ‘I’m going to buy you a very nice home, and the response is ‘That’s not good enough’?” he says. “Then you’re selling my shit?”
His parents issued a statement after lawyers worked out a settlement allowing them to auction six items of memorabilia totaling $500,000, “We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia,” the statement from Joe and Pamela Bryant read. “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we may have caused our son and appreciate the financial support that he has provided to us over the years.”
After Kobe’s death, Pamela’s ring was put up for auction and it fetched over $200k. The same private seller is also expected to sell the ring Kobe gifted his father Joe Bryant.
https://t.co/q25PW6CNMI The 14k gold and diamond ring Kobe Bryant gifted his mom 20 years ago has just sold … and it brought in more than $206k!!!!
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) May 24, 2020
Via TMZ Sports
Kobe ultimately agreed to allow his parents to sell 6 items — including the rings — and, in 2013, they sold to a private collector (a big Lakers fan) for a total of $280,000.
Now, that private collector went to Goldin Auction to see what they could get for the rings … and obviously, the value has skyrocketed.
The minimum bid was $15,000 — and after 20 total bids, it sold for $206k.