Kobe Bryant's 2000 NBA Championship Ring Is Being Auctioned

The 2000 NBA Championship ring earned by Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers has been put up for auction by Goldin. The ring has been made available by Kobe's parents, with the late Lakers legend gifting the ring to his father Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant.

The details of the ring are extraordinary, as described by Goldin. 

"The ring is in Kobe's ring size of 11 ½ and weighs approximately 59.6 grams. It features a total of 40 diamonds, including five larger round diamonds on either side of the face, which display "LAKERS" filled with purple enamel. "WORLD CHAMPIONS" reads in relief lettering." 

The details get more incredible.

"The NBA league logo centers on one side, with the name "BRYANT" at the top and the number "8" at the bottom. Also appearing are banners that reveal both the Laker's regular season mark of 67-15 as well as their postseason win-loss record of 15-8. An image of a basketball hoop – with a diamond as a basketball – appears on the opposite side along with "BLING BLING" and "2000". The inside of this ring is marked 14K."

The winner of the auction will also receive a letter of authenticity from Kobe's mother, Pam Bryant. It's the only championship ring that Kobe gave his father, so it being available on the market is significant and boosts the value. The bid is currently at $94,000, with the auction scheduled to end on 31st March.

The 2000 NBA Finals Led To Kobe Bryant's First Ring

Kobe Bryant is a five-time NBA Champion, but the 2000 Finals is extremely significant. It was the first title won by Kobe, making this ring the first-ever won by him in the NBA. He averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as the Lakers beat the Pacers in six games to win the first title of what became a three-peat.

Kobe wasn't the superstar-level player we know him as now back then, with Shaquille O'Neal leading the team to success. Coming off his only MVP win (which was almost awarded unanimously), Shaq dominated in the playoffs and averaged 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in the Finals. 

It was the first of his three Finals MVP awards with the Lakers. Kobe is the franchise's biggest icon but everyone knows those titles would not have been possible without Shaq in his prime. 

The reason behind why the Bryant family is selling such a valuable piece of memorabilia is unclear, but it gives someone an incredible opportunity to own a valuable piece of NBA history. With Kobe being one of the most popular superstars in NBA history. a piece of memorabilia like this could one day fetch a lot more than what it auctions for now.