Kobe Bryant’s first NBA Championship ring fetches nearly $1 million at auction after backlash

Kobe Bryant’s 2000 NBA Championship ring fetched nearly $1 million at auction, closing with a winning bid of $927,000. This sale sets a new record for the most expensive NBA title ring ever sold, according to Goldin, the auctioneer.

The ring commemorates Bryant’s first NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to the Daily Mail. Bryant’s 2000 NBA Championship ring surpassed the previous record held by Bill Russell’s 1957 championship ring with the Boston Celtics, which was auctioned in 2021.

Bryant’s ring was originally a gift from him to his father, Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant. The ring was originally ordered by Bryant over 20 years ago as a gift for his father.

According to Goldin, this ring is not an executive version but the exact ring given to Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and other Lakers players.

The Bryant family attempted to sell the ring in 2013, but the decision was met with fierce criticism for potentially devaluing NBA history.

However, more than a decade later, the sale finally went through, with over 40 bids placed on the ring adorned with 40 diamonds and featuring Bryant’s iconic No. 8.

Goldin did not disclose the name of the new owner of Bryant’s championship ring.