BANKRUPTCY FORCES EX-BULL TO SELL RINGS
04/29/2009

Former Bulls guard Randy Brown has declared bankruptcy after being fired as a Sacramento Kings assistant coach. Now his 1996, 1997 and 1998 NBA championship rings will now be auctioned off.

The bidding will begin on May 19th at $19,000 - a price that the auctioneer, Daniel West, said is far below the rings' value in every sense of the word.

"They were appraised - just the jewels and the precious metals - at about $40,000, and that's not the collector's value," he said.

Despite the depressed market for collectibles of all kinds, West said he expects each of the rings to fetch $75,000 or more.

It'll take a big man to wear the jewel-encrusted rings, though. The first two are size 12-1/4, and the last is size 12-1/2.