Lakers ring Kobe gifted to father sells for $927K

Over the weekend, a ring from the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 2000 NBA title — gifted from Kobe Bryant to his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant — sold for $927,000, including buyer’s premium with collectibles marketplace Goldin.

The hotly contested 43-bid auction resulted in the most ever paid for an NBA championship ring.

The 2000 championship, Kobe’s first of five titles, was the only time Bryant gifted his father with a ring. Goldin noted this is an identical copy given to Kobe: BRYANT etched on one side, with the same sizing (11½), weight (59.6 grams) and etchings.

The ring was originally consigned to Goldin in 2013 by Pam and Joe Bryant and sold for $173,000. For this weekend’s sale, the 2013 buyer consigned the ring, which comes with a letter of authenticity from the Bryants.

It isn’t, however, an all-time record paid for a championship ring; that still belongs to the $2.09 million netted by Charlie Sheen for Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series title ring.