Few duos in NBA history are as iconic as Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Together, the Los Angeles Lakers stars powered one of the league’s most memorable dynasties, winning three straight championships from 2000 to 2002 while dominating opponents such as the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets.
On Tuesday, TMZ reported that an especially coveted piece of Lakers history is heading to auction: a game ball from the 2000 NBA Finals. The ball comes from Game 6 of the series, the title-clinching matchup in which the Lakers closed out the Pacers with a 116–111 win.
That night, O’Neal delivered one of the defining performances of his career, scoring 41 points to secure the franchise’s first championship since 1988. His overall production throughout the series remains one of the most dominant playoff stretches in league history. O’Neal averaged 38 points, 16.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on his way to the first of three consecutive Finals MVP awards.
Bryant, then in his fourth season, provided steady support despite battling injuries earlier in the postseason. He finished the series averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 blocks. Bryant later became a two-time Finals MVP himself and retired as a five-time NBA champion, cementing his legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
The Bryant-O’Neal partnership remained intact through the 2003–04 season before the franchise dealt O’Neal to the Miami Heat in the summer of 2004, officially ending the Lakers’ early-2000s dynasty.
The Finals game ball will be part of Sotheby’s “Winter Sports Classic” auction in New York. Bidding opens Nov. 25 and runs through Dec. 11. Experts expect the item to sell for between $300,000 and $500,000, reflecting both the historic significance of the Lakers’ title run and the continued collector demand for memorabilia tied to Bryant and O’Neal.
