Dan HajduckyDec 12, 2025, 01:32 PM ET
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Championship-clinching basketballs from the 2000 NBA Finals - Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's first title together and the Lakers' first title since 1988 - and the 2001 NBA Finals, the second in the Lakers' three-peat, sold for $508,000 and $317,500 respectively at Sotheby's.
The balls are both signed by at least a dozen Lakers -- the 2000 ball is signed by both Bryant and O'Neal, while the 2001 ball is signed by just Bryant. Both balls include photo-matching letters from companies MeiGray and Sports Investors Authentication, as well as letters from Professional Sports Authenticator verifying authenticity of the signatures.
Basketballs from the Los Angeles Lakers' legendary 2000 and 2001 championships, both signed by Kobe Bryant and one signed by Shaquille O'Neal, have sold at Sotheby's auction house for $508,000 and $317,500 respectively Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The $508,000 paid for the 2000 Finals ball is the most ever paid for a championship-clinching ball, per Sotheby's. The previous record belonged to the ball from the 2025 NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder's first post-relocation title, which sold for $107,950 at Sotheby's in July.
In the same auction, a pair of game-worn and signed Michael Jordan "Air Ship" sneakers from his rookie season, worn on December 2, 1984 -- Jordan's first matchup with Magic Johnson, a 113-112 Bulls victory -- sold for $698,500. A complete set of six Chicago Bulls title rings, owned by longtime Bulls security guard John Capps, pulled in $406,400 and Shohei Ohtani's signed jersey from 2024 Jackie Robinson Day brought in $330,200.
The Jordan sneakers include photo-matching letters from MeiGray and SIA, as well as an authentication letter from PSA on Jordan's signature.
The rings feature Capps name on the side, while the Ohtani jersey features stickers from MeiGray and MLB Authenticated, as well as Fanatics regarding the veracity of the signature.
The shirt Rory McIlroy wore while clinching his 2011 US Open victory also sold for $146,050, a record paid for a piece of McIlroy memorabilia at auction.