Kobe Bryant’s childhood hoop has hit the auction block

Ever since his tragic passing, the price of Bryant's memorabilia has skyrocketed

Nov 15, 2020

The basketball hoop that Kobe Bryant practiced his famous jump shot on during his childhood is set to hit the auction block, and is likely to sell for a small fortune.

Just before Bryant’s childhood home in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania was sold for over $800K, the seller decided to pull the backboard and the rim from the listing after the buyer had no interest in paying more for its inclusion. According to TMZ Sports, the seller passed the hoop over to the Helen Auction House.

Hoop Image by Kim Glynn and Home Image by David Wyher and TJ Sokso/Compass (via TMZ)

Time will tell how much the hoop will sell for, but some experts believe it could go for at least six figures, considering the history behind it.

Ever since the tragic passing of Bryant in January this year, memorabilia associated with the five-time champion has skyrocketed in price.

Last month TMZ reported that Kobe Bryant memorabilia was mixed in with the contents of an abandoned storage locker and sold at auction in Los Angeles. The buyer, while looking for shipping containers for sale, had won the items in a storage auction and then sold them for $13,000 to Rene Nezhoda, who used to star on the hit reality series, Storage Wars.

Kobe Bryant's Childhood Hoop Set To Hit Auction Block After Penn. Home Sells https://t.co/L0bnGQmqPC
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 15, 2020

Some of the items purchased by Nezhoda included pairs of shoes, jerseys, Los Angeles Lakers practice gear, and even some of Bryant’s tax paperwork. Vanessa Bryant, wife of the late basketball great, reportedly had her representatives reach out to Nezhoda to buy back some of the items. Nezhoda confirmed that a number of personal items and paperwork were sold back to Vanessa at an undisclosed price.

Back in 2013, Bryant’s parents, Pamela and Joe Bryant attempted to sell two championship rings their son had gifted them, along with some additional Kobe memorabilia. At that time the Lakers star sued in an attempt to stop the sale, but was unsuccessful.

His parents were allowed to sell the items to a private collector for a grand total of $280,000, which is said to be the cause of the fractured relationship that existed between Bryant and his parents at the time of his death.

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