- The Washington Times - Tuesday, December 6, 2022

A Los Angeles Lakers 1999-2000 season NBA championship ring previously owned by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is on sale at auction.

Hefner was given the ring by friend and then-Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who made it specially for Hefner. 

Buss died in 2013, Hefner in 2017.

The ring, being sold by SCP Auctions, includes “the original Lakers presentation box with ‘Hefner’ engraved on the plaque,” as well as a letter of authenticity from Hefner’s family, according to the item’s lot description.

The ring is 14 karat gold and features a face of brilliant-cut diamonds with a gold Lakers logo inset, as well as five diamonds on each side of the ring’s face.

Hefner’s name is featured on one side of the ring alongside the 1999-2000 Lakers records in the regular season, 67-15, and playoffs, 15-8. The other side has a hoop, a diamond in the center of a basketball on the rim, and “Bling Bling.”

That L.A. team featured the core duo of Kobe Bryant and regular-season Most Valuable Player Shaquille O’Neal. The Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in six games in the NBA Finals for their 12th National Basketball Association title, their first since the Magic Johnson Showtime era.

The Lakers would go on to threepeat with Shaq and Kobe.

The Hefner ring had two bids as of Tuesday, the highest of which was at $8,250, according to the SCP Auctions lot. The SCP Fall Premier Auction will go final on Saturday.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.

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