NBA stars who make it to the top also make a lot of money, there is no denying the wealth that accompanies the celebrity and status of being in the NBA. While many of them leverage that into comfortable lives for themselves after retirement, and some even catapult themselves to further riches, some end up losing everything. The situation of Horace Grant, one of Michael Jordan’s key teammates from his first three-peat with the Chicago Bulls, is perhaps a mix of both.
While Grant may not be struggling for money at the moment, something at some point forced him to part ways with his championship rings. With the lifestyles that these players lead, it’s hard to tell what exactly that might have been, although it probably isn’t a very heartwarming story. One way or another, though, NBA championship rings are extremely valuable, and Grant’s once prized possessions recently found their way into an auction.
$297,000: What Horace Grant’s three Bulls champ rings (1991, 1992 & 1993) collectively sold for tonight at @HeritageAuction pic.twitter.com/yTPGEqOjOn
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 28, 2022
“$297,000: What Horace Grant’s three Bulls champ rings (1991, 1992 & 1993) collectively sold for tonight at @HeritageAuction.”
While general championship rings mean a lot, these have special value to collectors, Grant won these alongside the GOAT of NBA basketball. The mythos surrounding Michael Jordan is on a level by themselves, and any signifiers of everything that he and his teams achieved are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to collectors or wealthy fans. It’s no surprise to see that Grant’s rings fetched nearly a third of $1 million by themselves.
How Grant himself feels about it is harder to tell, who knows what drives players to such decisions? If he could, he would surely never part ways with the thing that every major athlete covets, a symbol of reaching the pinnacle of their sport. However, it is also safe to say that after retirement, priorities likely change, and the older players get, the less these material possession mean to them, however valuable they may be.
Ultimately, the gain is for whoever sold them, and whichever person has now managed to acquire them. Having these pieces is likely a major point of pride for whoever owns them, and they are a significant piece of NBA history. Coming with a letter of provenance from Grant itself, their authenticity cannot be doubted, and even though fans don’t like to see it, they will likely not be the last NBA championship rings that are seen on an auction block.
