The war between Ukraine and Russia is all over the news currently, and there seems to be no end in sight. There’s no doubt that this has also affected some players in the NBA world, particularly those who are/were from Ukraine.
Slava Medvedenko is most well-known for this time on the Los Angeles Lakers. He won two rings as a role player for the franchise. There’s no doubt that most players generally keep their championship rings, but Slava Medvedenko has decided to auction off his 2001 and 2002 NBA championship rings, with the entire return going towards his foundation that helps Ukrainian children. An article in The Athletic relayed the news.
Former Lakers forward Slava Medvedenko is auctioning off his 2001 and 2002 NBA championship rings, with the entire final sale price going toward his foundation to support Ukrainian children, the Associated Press reported.
Medvedenko played for the Lakers in six of his seven seasons before retiring in 2007. Since retiring, he has embarked on a political career in his home country of Ukraine.
Medvedenko’s foundation, the Fly High Foundation, supports children by restoring sports infrastructure and launching a network of social 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 rings are being auctioned by SCP Auctions from Wednesday to Aug. 5.
There is no doubt that this is a worthy cause. While selling championship rings may be upsetting for some players, it is clear that, in this case, some things are simply bigger than basketball.
Hopefully, we see those championship rings end up helping a lot of children in Ukraine. It is unfair that they have to deal with war, but it is good to see that at least someone is trying to improve their conditions.
