Kobe Bryant‘s parents have found themselves in the center of a social media storm after it emerged that the former NBA superstar’s father had placed one of his championship rings up for auction.
Bryant and his daughter passed away on January 26, 2020, following a tragic helicopter accident. But before that, he had gifted one of his NBA championship rings to his father, Joe. It is the 2000 championship ring, to be specific.
While plenty of affection has been shown to the Bryant family over recent years, Bryant senior has been heavily criticized on social media due to his decision to put that gifted ring on the market.
While many have laid into Joe Bryant, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has defended the decision. He said on a podcast appearance: “You can’t be mad because they’re selling the rings. The money wasn’t left to them. They trying to eat.”
But Arenas did not stop there, taking aim at Kobe‘s widow Vanessa Bryant, adding: “It’s her job to call them to take that off their hands because they’re obviously just trying to survive. And [Vanessa] is just sitting over there with the grandkids, billion-dollar industry.
“All they have is their son’s legacy, and when you’re trying to pay bills and eat, that legacy don’t mean anything.
“So once she sees it hit the net when it hit the auction, she should have brought that check, bring that back to the house and then say, ‘Anything you got over there, that belongs to your son, it belongs to his kids, and we will take that off your hands.”
Who is Vanessa Bryant?
Vanessa Bryant is the widow of Kobe Bryant. She also lost her daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, in the accident. Vanessa is a 41-year-old philanthropist, who was married to Bryant for 19 years prior to his death. The couple got married in 2001 after meeting around two years earlier.
She continues to represent the Bryant brand and the foundation, the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. Vanessa recently teased the upcoming release of Nike’s new ‘Kobe 5 Protro X-Ray’.