A 14-karat gold and diamond ring Kobe Bryant bought for his mother to commemorate the Lakers' 1999-2000 championship has been sold for $206,000 USD from an unnamed collector in an auction.
According to TMZ, the ring was sold by Goldin Auction after a private collector owned them for seven years. The bidding began at $15,000 USD and rose up to the final price after 20 bids
The private collector obtained the ring in a six-item lot for $280,000 in 2013 from Bryant's parents Joe and Pamela Bryant in a sale that was preceded by some family drama, as Kobe, 41, was opposed to the sale.
The rings, and other memorabilia, were initially obtained by the private collector for $280,000 in 2013 from Kobe's parents, Pamela and Joe Bryant, who attempted to sell several pieces of memorabilia. This led to a family drama and Kobe eventually filing a lawsuit against his parents in an attempt to stop the sale of the memorabilia.
Reports also suggest that a second ring that Kobe gifted his father Joe Bryant is expected to be auctioned off soon and could earn a similar price tag.
As should come as no surprise, Kobe memorabilia has been very popular on auction sites in the months following his tragic death in January this year.
Bryant was tragically killed in a helicopter crash alongside his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people in January.
Kobe was killed in a helicopter crash alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna 'GiGi' Bryant and seven others in Calabasas, California.
The seven others were basketball coach Christina Mauser; John Altobelli, a baseball coach for Orange Coast College, with his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa; and Sarah Chester and daughter Payton (one of Gianna's basketball teammates, along with Alyssa).
The group was headed from Orange County to Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks at the time of the deadly crash. Officials earlier this month said the crash was ruled accidental; the National Transportation Safety Board's final report might not come out for months.