How much did Kobe Bryant’s ring get sold for? Closer look as late Lakers legend’s memorabilia breaks record 

The 2000 NBA Championship ring of Kobe Bryant was sold at the Goldin auction on Saturday for a record $927,000, breaking the previous mark for an NBA ring by more that $200,000.

'Black Mamba' gave the ring to his father, former NBA player Joe Bryant, as a gift. Its sale topped the record previously held by that of Bill Russell's first league title from 1957, which went for $705,000 in 2021.

As described by Goldin, the championship ring has 40 diamonds and is mader of 14-karat gold. It has the purple and gold's logo and "World Champions" featured on the front.

The words "Ring Bling" and the year are on one side of the ring, while the other side features Kobe Bryant's name, the Laker's 2000 regular season record of 67-15 as well as their postseason record of 15-8. The underside has the late great's No. 8 on it. Bryant later switched to No. 24 in the second half of his illustrious career.

Goldin said, as per Sports Illustrated, the ring was not the executive version of the ring issued by the team. It was instead an identical copy Kobe Bryant had ordered as a special gift to his father. The auctioneers said in the description:

"Obtained directly from the Bryant family, this ring is a true one-of-a-kind, and we can confirm that it is the onlyhchampionship ring ever given by Kobe to his father."

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Kobe Bryant and Lakers beat Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals

The 2000 NBA title was the first for Kobe Bryant and superstar partner Shaquille O'Neal, beating the Indiana Paces in six games.

O'Neal claimed the Finals MVP honors after dominating with averages of 38 points and 16.7 rebounds. Bryant, meanwhile, posted norms of 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in five games in the series. He missed Game 3 because of a sprained ankle sustained in Game Two.

However, the former 13th overall pick (1996) out of Lower Merion high school in Philadelphia came back with a vengeance in Game 4, leading the Lakers to victory in overtime after O'Neal had fouled out.

He played 47 of a possible 53 minutes and ended with 28 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. The win gave the Lakers a 3-1 series lead, from which the Pacers never recovered.

Bryant won two more titles, in 2001 and 2002 with O'Neal, until their highly successful, albeit turbulent, partnership was broken up in 2004 when 'Shaq' was traded to Miami.

Bryant didn't win his next NBA title until 2009, when he led the Lakers, along with Pau Gasol, to the championship against the Orlando Magic in five games. The next year they won again, this time against their rivals Boston Celtics in seven titly fought games.

Kobe Bryant retired in 2016 as a five-time NBA champion, one-time NBA MVP (2008) and 18-time NBA All-Star. He died in January 2020 along with his daughter Gigi in a helicopter crash,