Kobe Bryant Reaches Settlement With Auction House Over Memorabilia

The auction of Kobe Bryant memorabilia will move forward, as Bryant has reached a settlement with the auction house that was given the items by Bryant's mother. 

According to ABC News, Ken Goldin, owner of Goldin Auctions in New Jersey, announced on Monday that the two sides have reached a settlement, which will allow the items to go up for sale online from June 17 to July 19, as first reported by ESPN.

The items were originally scheduled to take place three weeks earlier, but it was postponed after Bryant's attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Goldin Auctions, saying his mother, Pamela Bryant, was not authorized to consign about 100 items to the auctioneer. 

The auction company then sued Bryant, asking the judge for clarification over the items' ownership because the auction house paid $450,000 as an advance to his mother in January, which she used for a new home in Nevada. 

About five years ago, Bryant's mother asked Kobe what he wanted to do with the items, but according to the lawsuit filed by Goldin, Kobe didn't have any interest in the items. 

Pamela Bryant also indicated that her son gave those items to her stating that, "here mom, these are for you," the complaint said. 

Joe and Pamela Bryant released a statement, "We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia. We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years. We also apologize to Goldin Auctions for their inadvertent involvement in the matter and thank them for their assistance." 

Due to the settlement with Kobe over the items, it's said that the items have dropped 90 percent, but Goldin is "very happy" with the latest selection. 

The six items include two of Bryant's Lower Merion High School uniforms, a 1996 Magic's Roundball Classic All Star medallion and ribbon, his 2000 NBA All-Star game ring, two NBA championship rings issued by the Lakers and gifted by Kobe to Joe Bryant.

Goldin said that five of the six items could reach the six-figure range, with some of the items well into the six-figure range. 

Fifty percent of four Bryant's items will be donated to a charity to be announced later.     

Atlanta Hawks Ad Claims Dwight Howard And Chris Paul Could Join Team

The Atlanta Hawks are pretty sure they can grab two big potential free agents this offseason, as the organization sent out an email to season ticket holders which mention the possibility of bringing Howard and Paul to Atlanta.

In the letter, which was sent out by a member of the ticket-sales department, a headline read "Hot New Player news: Chris Paul and Dwight Howard."

The letter begins, "The buzz around our offseason is more than heating up. With massive cap space, 4 draft picks, and free agency rapidly approaching, we sit in the best position in the NBA. Player interest is skyrocketing as the possibilities of landing Chris Paul and Dwight Howard becoming more and more a reality."

The letter also include a link to a story written by ESPN, which explained how Chris Paul was unhappy with the Los Angeles Clippers for the notion that he had a hand in the firing of head coach Vinny Del Negro last month.

"This is your opportunity to get on board before it's (sic) too late. Once we solidify our signings there will be no seats left," the letter added.

Although the Hawks are trying to hype of their upcoming season, they may have violated NBA rules by mentioning Howard and Paul's name in the email.

Hawks president Bob Williams issued a statement about the letter, as he says that the ticket-sales employee wrote the letter on his own, without the approval of any other member of the the Hawks organization. He also added that the employee wasn't trying to cause trouble with the email.

In 2008, the NBA sent out letters to all 30 teams detailing the anti-tampering policy. The letter read: "If a member of your organization is asked by the media about a potential free agent before the July 1 following the last season's covered by the player's contract, or about any other person under contract with another NBA team, the only proper response is to decline comments."

The ban extends to general managers, coaches, players, or other employees of an organization.  

Houston Rockets Making Room For Dwight Howard

It's unknown whether or not if Dwight Howard will stay or leave the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason, but the Houston Rockets are already preparing for the arrival of Howard, as the team is preparing to trade away players to make room for the All-Star center.

The team is ready to ship out Thomas Robinson in order to create enough cap space to offer Howard the maximum contract of four-years.

The Rockets have also told rival NBA teams that they plan to accept the best offer to move Robinson and eliminate his $3.52-million salary for the 13-2014 NBA season.

If their plan can be accomplished, the Rockets will be able to pay Howard around $20.5 million a season .

Kobe Bryant Parents Claims He's A Lair

Kobe Bryant parents are claiming that their son is lying when he accused his mother of stealing more than a million dollars worth of basketball memorabilia, only to put the items up for auction, according to TMZ. 

Pamela and Joe, Kobe's parents, both filed sworn declaration in the legal dispute which will show that Kobe knew that the items were going up for sale by Goldin Auctions, the auction house planning on selling Kobe's memorabilia items, along with giving his mother the right to sell the items. 

Kobe's dad claims that he gave his mother the memorabilia over the course of years. The dad also claims that Kobe told his mother, "Here mom, these are for you." 

Kobe's mom says that she never took anything with Kobe's permission. 

Other family members are coming into the fight, as Kobe's sister Sharia Washington has filed a declaration claiming that their mother have been planning on selling Kobe's stuff for year, as their mother claimed to other family members that they could profit off the sell of Kobe's items. 

As of now, a judge has blocked the sell of any of the memorabilia.

Dwight Howard's Girlfriend Wants Him To Leave Los Angeles Lakers

Coming off his embarrassing first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, where the Lakers barely made the playoffs only to be swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, Dwight Howard has asked Lakers fans to give him another chance to make it up to them, but apparently his beautiful girlfriend wants him to leave the Lakers for something "even better".

According to a few tweets Howard's girlfriend Christine Vest posted on Sunday, she's unhappy with how the Lakers faithful and the sports media in L.A. and across the country blamed Howard for the embarrassing play of the Lakers this season.

A fan tweeted [below] Vest, as he gave some comfort to her and Howard after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs.

Pretty clear that with the way Howard was treated by the media this season in Los Angeles, Vest believes that it's time for her and Howard to pack up and leave town.

Howard will become a free-agent in July, as he can sign a five-year deal with L.A. worth $118-million or sign somewhere else with a deal worth $88-million for four years.

@christine_vest Dwight is going to be OK. im tired of Lakers fans and the media blaming him for this pitiful season.love t s him in houston.
— Don Pertha (@donpertha) April 29, 2013

@christine_vest It's just sad the way Lakers fans and the media has treated him.i feel sorry for Dwight. hope he goes to Brooklyn or Houston
— Don Pertha (@donpertha) April 29, 2013