Kobe Bryant’s Father Puts the Late NBA Star’s 2000 NBA Championship Ring Up for Auction

The championship ring features 14k gold and 40 diamonds, and bidding is up to $141,000

obe Bryant with his father Joe Bryant during Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs Los Angeles Dodgers game. PHOTO: JOHN W. MCDONOUGH /SPORTS ILLUSTRATED VIA GETTY

Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of the late basketball star Kobe Bryant, has put his son’s 2000 Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship ring up for auction.

Shared on the online auction website Goldin on March 9, the elder Bryant, 69, listed the 14K gold, 40-diamond ring which spells out the words “LAKERS,” “WORLD CHAMPIONS” and “BRYANT,” along with his jersey number, “8,” in gold. However, it’s not the original version of the ring, as Kobe ordered this as an exact replica specifically for his father and kept the main one for himself.

2000 was a memorable year for the Los Angeles team, as well as Kobe — the team won the NBA Championship in a six-game series over the Indiana Pacers. Over the course of his career, Kobe won five total championships, all during his storied career with the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant #8 of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a photo with his parents after winning the NBA Championship on June 19, 2000.ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE VIA GETTY

According to the Los Angeles Times, Kobe gifted his parents the ring at the time he was issued it, and they initially considered selling it in 2013 along with a large collection of memorabilia from Bryant’s career, including uniforms from his time at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania.

The late player sued Joe and his mother Pamela, stating that he had not given them permission to sell the items. They eventually settled, with Bryant’s parents writing in a statement that they “regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia.”

“We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years,” they said in a statement at the time.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Some critics of Joe’s choice to put the ring up for auction have questioned why he wouldn’t want to keep the item, considering that Kobe (along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other family friends) died in a January 2020 helicopter crash.

Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers shows off his 2009 NBA Championship ring before the season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers 2009.ANDREW D.BERNSTEIN/NBAE VIA GETTY

The late star’s relationship with his parents was notably rocky — Joe, a former NBA player himself, and Pamela were rumored to have a fractured relationship with their son as early as 2001, as they did not attend his wedding to Vanessa Bryant in April that year.

 Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant’s Relationship: A Look Back at Their Romance

Although Kobe and his father were reportedly on better terms by the time Joe joined the Los Angeles Sparks as a coach in 2005, the 2013 lawsuit added to the rumors. Kobe’s parents were also noticeably absent during their son’s final NBA game in April 2016.

Bidding on the ring ends on March 30, and as of Thursday afternoon, the price is up to $141,000.