Kobe Bryant is claiming personal mementos of his put up for auction by his mom last week were actually stolen from his home.
Bryant filed suit late last week to take back possessions of items ranging from high school and NBA all-star game jerseys once worn by him, team-issued championship rings and a skateboard he once earned as a Nickelodeon Teen Choice Award winner.
New Jersey based Goldin’s Auction announced last week it was partnering with Pamela Bryant to feature “The Bryant Collection,” a batch of 100 mementos from Bryant’s career including L.A. Lakers seasons with Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson.
Bryant named his mother as the defendant in the suit and is seeking to have her get back the items from the auction house, adding that his mom stole the items from his home and now refuses to return them and other possessions he left at her home when he moved out years ago.
Goldin’s has already sued the NBA superstar, asking a judge to uphold its plans to carry on with estimated $1.5 million auction.
Besides the allegations raised in his suit, Bryant maintains he has given his mom millions of dollars over the years and only decided to draw a line in the sand after she demanded he purchase her another multi-million dollar home in Las Vegas.
Rumors of Bryant’s strained relationship with both his mom and father, Joe Bryant, himself a former NBA journeyman player, have long been public in Los Angeles. According to TMZ, the latest family squabble also revolves around real estate.
The gossip site reports Bryant did, in fact, offer to buy his mom a home in Vegas, but one for significantly less than $1 million. Pamela Bryant reportedly became even more incensed when she compared the home her son was purchasing to the $3.2 million Newport Beach mansion he purchased for his in laws.
Again, Bryant, retorts by claiming he’s bought numerous cars and homes for his parents over the years. TMZ also reports Pamela Bryant was given a $450,000 advance by Goldin’s for the possessions to be auctioned, which she reportedly used as a down payment on a new Vegas abode.
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