Lakers' memorabilia dominates Newport Sports Museum

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - To the right of the front desk and the countless signed baseballs, beyond three aisles of hockey and Olympic memorabilia, is the basketball section of the Newport Sports Museum.

There's a classic Spalding ball autographed by the 50 greatest players in NBA history, an initialed pair of Shaquille O'Neal's size-22 white Reeboks, a signed Elgin Baylor Lakers uniform from the 1966-67 season and plenty more.

This week, this area of the museum has attracted a little more buzz.

In the corner, resting in a movable glass case stationed below game-worn Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson jerseys, are six rare pieces of memorabilia that formerly belonged to Lakers star Kobe Bryant. The items are unique not only because of the celebrity status of their former owner but also because of the recent feud and eventual settlement between Bryant, his parents and an auction house that resulted in these select mementos becoming available.

Two of Bryant's maroon and white No. 33 uniforms from his playing days at Lower Merion High in suburban Philadelphia are folded neatly on the lower level of the display case. On a shelf above sit a pair of 2000 NBA championship rings ? one gifted to each of Bryant's parents ? a ring presented to Bryant at the 2000 All-Star Game and a medal from the 1996 Magic Johnson Roundball Classic.

The museum has hosted the collection since Tuesday and will keep it through Friday. All the while, bidders are competing for the items in an auction that ends July 19 on Goldin Auctions' website, goldinauctions.com. Half of the winning prices from four of the items will be donated to the BULLY Project, a Bryant-supported charity targeting bullying awareness.

"This is the kind of stuff that gets put in somebody's collection and nobody ever sees it again," said museum founder John Hamilton, 71, of Corona del Mar. "It's nice to have the public to be able to enjoy it."

The items were part of a much larger collection that Bryant's mother, Pamela, consigned Goldin Auctions to sell, sparking a legal dispute between Bryant and his parents over ownership of the items. Bryant's parents later issued an apology and the parties settled last month before the case went to trial. Though the full terms of the resolution were not disclosed to the public, these were the six items permitted to hit the market.

While it's difficult to gauge the proceeds each piece will yield, the recent controversy and the publicity it drew might make the items more attractive to collectors, said Goldin Auctions consignment director Chris Cavalier, who is overseeing the display. As of Wednesday afternoon, bidders had raised the price of the larger of the championship rings, originally gifted from Bryant to his father, Joe, to more than $55,000.

"To have this available from a current player of Kobe's stature is, like, unheard of," Cavalier said. "If it wasn't for the familial situation, this stuff would never be available. So this is really a unique opportunity for collectors if you think about it."

But even those not interested in investing large sums of money in the items have been enjoying the display. Since Tuesday morning, several first-time museum visitors have made their way over to what receptionist Diane Baker deemed "Kobe Corner."

"I actually have replica rings of the last championship (the Lakers) won, but these are a lot more impressive," said Chris Goeke, 37, of Irvine. "I've actually never seen a ring this close at all. It's a lot more impressive than my cheap little trinket."

Upon arrival in the basketball section, Victorville resident Alex Gonzalez, 37, dropped to his knees and used his iPhone to snap photos of each piece of Bryant memorabilia. The die-hard Lakers fan had been vacationing with his wife in San Clemente but made sure to stop at the museum Wednesday once he read of the Bryant display.

"All this stuff to me is just sentimental, even just to see it. I'd love to touch it," he said with a laugh. "I'd love to put a ring on and take a picture, but I can't do that. It's just awesome."

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/11/3494891/lakers-memorabilia-dominates-newport.html

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