Kobe Bryant’s Ukrainian teammate auctions championship rings at $200,000 for rebuilding efforts

Stanislav Medvedenko, a former teammate of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal is auctioning all his championship rings for a noble cause.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal led the Los Angeles Lakers to 3 straight championships from 2000 to 2002. One of their teammates who were a part of two of those campaigns is deciding to auction his championship rings for some extremely noble cause.

Stanislav Medvedenko wasn’t an integral part of the LA-based franchise. Despite not lacing up for several games, “Slava” is a multiple-time NBA champion.

For the majority of his basketball life, not even avid fans were aware of who Medvedenko was. However, the 43-year-old made headlines a few weeks ago after his recent decision of selling away his rings.

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Let’s get into why the Ukrainian is aiming to sell his championship rings.

“Why do I need these rings if they’re just sitting in my safe?”: Stanislav Medvedenko

The former power forward hopes to help his nation, amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis. Aiming to collect $100,000 per ring, Medvedenko wants to help rebuild gyms and sports clubs.

“We want to restore gyms because the Russian army bombed more than a hundred schools,” he told The Associated Press. “Our country, they need a lot of money to fix the schools. Sports gyms are going to be last in the line to fix it. In Ukraine, we have winter and kids need to play inside.”

The 7-year NBA vet revealed that he decided to sell his rings after he saw rockets launched by Russian forces.

“In this moment I just decided, ‘Why do I need these rings if they’re just sitting in my safe?’” Medvedenko said. “I just recognize I can die. After that, I just say I have to sell them to show people leadership, to help my Ukrainian people to live better, to help kids.”

Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Slava Medvedenko’s two championship rings just sold for a combined $253,534 for charity. Medvedenko’s 2001 ring sold for $126,767 and his 2002 ring sold for $126,767 with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Ukraine relief efforts. pic.twitter.com/l6HrIEVne1

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) August 6, 2022

Stanislav might not be remembered for his 7-year NBA career, however, he will be considered a hero for his generous contributions to his nation.

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