Kobe Bryant’s parents are facing backlash after auctioning off his first championship ring.
Fans heavily criticized Joe “Jellybean” and Pamela Bryant on social media for their decision to auction off the ring. One fan wrote, “Vanessa might as well cut Kobe’s parents a check since they out here starving cause ain’t no way that championship ring should belong to anyone else besides her and the girls. You gotta keep that in-house.”
The Late NBA star’s ring came during the 1999-2000 season when the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers for the championship. It was reported that once he received his ring, Kobe had ordered a replica ring to give to his father as a gift.
The ring was a 14-karat gold with 40 diamonds as described by Goldin Auctions. The ring also had Bryant’s last name on it with the Lakers’ regular-season record (67-15) as well as the postseason record (15-8) on one side. The other side read “bling bling” with the year 2000 on it.
It has been known for years that Kobe’s relationship with his parents hasn’t been the best. Things allegedly went left once Bryant began dating Vanessa and in 2001 they did not attend their wedding ceremony. In 2013, things continued to be rocky after his parents tried to sell some of his memorabilia from early in his career. The items included, a championship ring, and some of his high school jerseys.
During that time Kobe had tweeted, “When u give Give GIVE and they take Take TAKE at wat point do u draw a line in the sand?” Adding hashtags: “hurt beyond measure,” “gave me no warning,” and finally, “love?”
That same year, Bryant settled a lawsuit with Goldin and his parents issued an apology after the settlement.
“We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia,” the statement read. “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years. We also apologize to Goldin Auctions for their inadvertent involvement in this matter and thank them for their assistance.”
The auction of the ring will end on March 31, and the current bid is at $94,000.