Kobe Bryant’s Parents Under Fire Over Second Attempt to Profit Off Late Son’s Fame
A replica of Kobe Bryant‘s 2000 NBA championship ring has been put on the auction block by his parents, Joe and Pamela Bryant. The ring’s current bid is $94,000.
The Los Angeles Lakers star — who died in 2020 along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash — gifted the 14K gold ring featuring 40 diamonds to Mr. Bryant, who also played in the NBA between 1975 and 1983. The championship ring was Bryant’s first after the Lakers won the 2000 NBA Finals 4-2 over the Indiana Pacers.
Bryant’s relationship with his parents became tumultuous after he married Vanessa Bryant in 2001. The couple did not attend their son’s wedding, reportedly because they objected to him getting hitched so young. Kobe and Vanessa met when she was 17 and he was 20, and they were married two years later.
The family reportedly reconciled in 2005 and appeared to be mending fences, but things again went awry in 2013 after Joe and Pamela tried to auction off the 2000 Lakers championship rings that their son had gifted them as well as other memorabilia without his permission. However in 2016, Kobe told ESPN that he hadn’t spoken to his parents for three years.
“Our relationship is s—t,” said Kobe. “I say [to them], ‘I’m going to buy you a very nice home, and the response is ‘That’s not good enough’? Then you’re selling my s—t?”
Joe and Pamela later said that they regretted their actions, according to ESPN. They also worked out an agreement allowing for 10 percent of the items they’d cosigned to auction to be sold.
“We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia,” they said in a statement. “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years.”
Bryant’s legacy was further tarnished when a recent statue commemorating him was unveiled at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 8 with several spelling errors. The monument contained the names of NBA stars José Calderón and Von Wafer, which were misspelled, as well as the words “coach’s decision.”
Fans reacted to the news of the auction on X, and they were not pleased with the decision to auction the ring. One fan wrote, “Kobe would of never sold it. Wow sad.”
Another user replied, “Shame on his parents smh.” One fan replied that the Bryants should have reached out to their daughter-in-law if they needed money. “Tasteless.. I would rather reach out to my daughter-in-law and ask her for money if I was in need.. knowing Vanessa Bryant is eternally, wealthy, I can’t see that she would let her in-laws suffer..”
After his passing in 2020, Vanessa inherited Kobe’s precious memorabilia and his $600 million fortune through deals with Nike, Cola-Cola, and other brands. She has never placed anything up for auction. He was 41.
The ring auction will conclude on March 30.
