Los Angeles Lakers

An incredible amount of rare Kobe Bryant memorabilia is heading to auction ... and the items will help the late Lakers legend's foundation.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Goldin Auctions has made more than 50 dope pieces from Kobe's 20-year NBA career available in its Spring 2020 catalog ... from signature shoe prototypes to game-worn jerseys, to his 2000 NBA championship ring.

On top of that, there's a score sheet from Kobe's 81-point game signed by the Black Mamba himself, a jersey with Kobe and Vanessa hand-painted, and Bryant's autograph on White House stationery.

The best part?? 5% of the winning bids will go towards Kobe's Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation ... which helps young athletes learn life skills through sports.

We know, 5% doesn't sound like a lot -- but the value of Kobe memorabilia has skyrocketed over the past few months, so there could be A LOT of money raised here.

Vanessa Bryant has kept the Foundation moving in the months since Kobe, Gianna and 7 others perished in that tragic helicopter crash on Jan. 26 ... and the NBA has made a $100k donation to help the cause.

As we previously reported, the sports memorabilia community has flooded with fakes since Kobe's passing ... but Goldin Auctions assures us all of the items in their auction are certified legit.

The auction runs through May 16 ... good luck!!

Kobe Bryant will be inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020 -- alongside Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

Players become eligible 4 seasons after their last game -- and with Kobe retiring in 2016, this was his first opportunity to get in.

The ceremony (which will be formally announced on Saturday) will take place at The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA in August, according to Shams Charania.

It's a no-brainer -- Kobe is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time ... during his 20-year run with the Lakers, Kobe won 5 NBA titles and made the All-Star team 18 times!

Need more stats? He was also a 2-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, 2-time NBA scoring champ, 9-time NBA All-Defensive Team and he won the Dunk Contest in '97!

Of course, Kobe passed away on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. He was only 41.

Many of Kobe's friends and family members have talked about how important it was for Kobe to get in the HOF. Shaquille O'Neal even spoke about it on "Inside the NBA" in the days after Kobe's death.

"The fact that we're not gonna be able to joke at his Hall of Fame ceremony, we're not gonna be able to say, 'Haha, I got 5 (championships), you got 4,' the fact that we're not gonna be able to say, 'If we would've stayed together, we could've got 10' ... those were the things you can't get back."

Drake is honoring Kobe Bryant once again ... this time the rapper laid out the Mamba's Lakers jerseys in his new "Toosie Slide" music video -- and the tribute is pretty awesome.

Drake debuted the vid for his soon-to-be-smash-hit song Thursday ... and it didn't even take a full minute into the footage before the NBA superfan paid homage to Kobe.

You can see in the video ... Drake laid out Bryant's #8 and #24 jerseys on the table, and he let the camera pan to them as he danced around his Toronto-area mansion.

Of course, Drizzy is a HUGE Kobe fan despite his Raptors roots ... and after Bryant's death in January, Drake's paid homage to the L.A. legend every chance he's had.

In an Instagram post, just hours after Kobe's helicopter crashed on Jan. 26, Drake threw up a picture of him in a "Farewell Mamba" jacket with the caption, "It can't be."

Drake also painted the numbers 8 and 24 on his in-home basketball court just a few weeks ago as well.

The towel Kobe Bryant famously draped over his shoulders during his "Mamba Out" speech in 2016 just netted somebody a small fortune ... it sold for over $30K at an auction!!

You'll recall ... just minutes after the final buzzer sounded on Kobe's last game in the NBA on April 13, 2016 -- the Mamba grabbed a Body Armor towel and a mic and delivered a powerful speech.

He reflected on his L.A. career, thanked fans, and expressed gratitude for Vanessa, Gianna and the rest of his family for giving him the opportunity to hoop for the Lakers for 20 years.

Kobe famously ended the speech by saying "Mamba Out" ... and as he walked off the floor -- a lucky fan was able to nab the towel off his shoulders.

Turns out ... that was a VERY lucrative move -- because it not only fetched $8,000 at an auction in 2016 -- it sold again for $33,077.16 at a different auction Sunday.

Iconic Auctions president Jeff Woolf told CNN the winning bidder was none other than David Kohler -- the Lakers superfan who not only collects insane memorabilia but also sells it.

Remember, Kohler is the dude who scored $1 MILLION from Babe Ruth's 500th home run bat back in December!!

As for Kohler's plan for the towel ... Woolf says the guy with the massive Lakers collection wants to open up a museum someday with all of his L.A. memorabilia on display.

Nike's billion-dollar man went all-out for Air Max Day -- LeBron James gave a tour of his massive shoe collection ... and of course, it's sick.

March 26 is a national holiday for sneakerheads ... because it's the anniversary of the release of the first Air Max shoe, which came out back in 1987.

In honor of the special day, King James opened up the doors to his shoe vault to show off his incredible collection.

And, you know it's special when LBJ can barely contain himself going through all his boxes of new, classic, and unreleased kicks.

From the 95 De Lo Mios to the 90 Flyease to the DLX Susan Missing Link to the Off-White collabs and many more, LeBron shows off his dope kicks and explains why he likes them all so much.

LBJ even teases some shoes he can't show off because they won't come out for a LONG time. The perks of being the face of the brand!!

Bron shows off his own signature LeBron 15s that pay homage to the Air Max style ... saying it's one of his favorite sneaks to date.

It's good to be the King.

The Black Mamba's presence will be felt every time Drake steps foot on his insane home indoor basketball court ... 'cause the rapper has installed a touching tribute for Kobe Bryant.

Drizzy showed off the new artwork while spending some alone time at his "Sanctuary" court Monday night ... displaying a massive #8 and #24 on either side of the scoreboard.

Just like most of the world, it looks like Drake is practicing social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic ... which means he can work on his J from the comfort of his Toronto mansion.

Of course, tons of celebs and athletes have been honoring the late NBA superstar following the tragic helicopter crash earlier this year -- from tributes like LeBron James' tattoo to Derrick Henry's new chain.

As for Drake's mansion ... the place is insane and even has a singing toilet. So, the whole isolation thing ain't all that bad for Drake.

Not many people can say the best hoops player on the planet sang his heart out for their birthday ... but that's exactly what LeBron James did for Anthony Davis on his big day!!!

... and the vid is hilarious!!!

The Brow is officially 27 years old on Wednesday ... and LBJ made sure his teammate knew he didn't forget about AD's cake day ... belting out a special rendition of "Happy Birthday" in the locker-room.

"Happy birthday, AD ... happy birthday, homie ... happy birthday, my guy guy-y-y-y-y" the King sang with all his might.

It's worth noting ... LeBron is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he's killing it in Hollywood and has made a huge impact on lives in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

With that being said ... singin' ain't his thing.

But, hey, it's the thought that counts ... and AD loved it!! The guy even pretended to be embarrassed at the end and threw his towel at James.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AD!!

A Lakers fan -- who clearly hates the Clippers -- drove the WRONG WAY down a 1-way street ... just so he could scream, "F*ck Kawhi," at Lakers player Jared Dudley.

It was super dangerous and unnecessary ... but also ... kinda funny.

Dudley was hanging in Beverly Hills Sunday after the Lakers beat the Clippers in a 112 to 103 showdown at Staples Center.

We were talkin' with Dudley about LeBron James' statements on coronavirus and how he wouldn't play if the NBA blocked fans from attending games ... when all of a sudden, the heckler appeared.

Fortunately, no one was hurt ... but it got a smile from Dudley and our photog.

Ric Flair is all about putting on a show ... but he knows this is an emotional time for the Lakers ... which is why the WWE legend tells TMZ Sports he had to think twice before giving his epic intro for the team Tuesday at Staples Center.

Flair got the entire L.A. crowd pumped before the Lakers took on Zion Williamson's New Orleans Pelicans ... welcoming "the greatest franchise in all of sports" ... and his favorite player, LeBron James.

It. Was. LIT.

Naitch tells us the team asked him to help lift everyone's spirits following a deeply emotional memorial service for Kobe Bryant at Staples Center ... but he was reluctant to accept.

"I felt a little bad that close to the memorial that was so overwhelming on Monday," Flair tells us.

"But, they asked me and I said 'are you guys sure?' and they said 'Yeah, please. The crowd needs to be pumped up a little bit.'"

It was a good thing he accepted ... because the crowd clearly loved the gesture.

Monday they were mourning. Tuesday they were trying to cash in.

Several people who attended the Kobe Bryant memorial at Staples Center are selling souvenir items from the event ... from ticket stubs to program booklets ... and the asking price is in the THOUSANDS of dollars.

We've already found a handful of listings on eBay from people selling their memorial pins, shirts and other items. Most of the listers claim they personally attended the event.

The average starting bid for the Kobe Memorial bundles are around $3,000 -- with a $5,000 "Buy It Now" price.

One seller listed an official Kobe shirt (size XL) from the memorial -- and after receiving 76 bids, it sold for $2,025!

Remember, most fans were only able to get tickets to the event by entering a random drawing. If they were selected, they had the option of buying tickets for either $24.02 or $224 each, with the money going to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Some fans flew from around the country to be at the event -- and they could be selling the giveaways to help offset the travel costs.

Other people feel it's BAD FORM to auction off items from a memorial event -- and those people have been very critical of the sellers.

One thing is for sure ... Kobe items are in huge demand right now -- from autographs to game-worn jerseys and even his 8th-grade yearbook. And, as long as there are people willing to shell out the cash, there will be no shortage of supply.

Kobe Bryant was purple and gold as a 13-year-old -- signing his middle school friend's yearbook with "How bout those Lakers" -- and now the book can be yours.

Iconic Auctions has the super-unique piece of memorabilia on the auction block ... and it's pretty amazing.

In 1992, Kobe -- who just returned to the U.S. from Italy -- attended Bala Cynwyd Middle School in Pennsylvania ... where he played on the basketball team.

Bryant arrived midway through the school year, so he didn't have a standard school photo. He only appeared in the boys' basketball team photo.

When yearbooks were issued, Kobe's buddy asked him to sign the autograph page ... and what Mamba wrote was pretty prophetic.

"In a few years you probably will be dunking on me. Not!! How bout those Lakers. Your friend Kobe Bryant #24"

Kobe was just 13 years old in 1992 ... and wasn't a member of the Los Angeles Lakers (or the NBA) until June 1996.

Of course, Bryant -- even back then -- wore (and signed) one of the numbers, #24, that would eventually hang forever in the rafters of Staples Center.

Iconic tells us they expect the yearbook to sell for over $20k ... when the auction closes this weekend.

Thousands of Kobe and Gianna Bryant mourners are just hours away from packing Staples Center for a ceremony celebrating the Mamba and Mambacita's lives ... and TMZ Sports will live stream all of it.

The event is expected to be incredibly moving and emotional. As we reported, the demand to attend the memorial was unprecedented.

THOUSANDS of people applied for tickets -- more than 88,000 just in the first 5 hours.

The Staples Center only holds 20,000 ... and many of those tickets had already been accounted for with Kobe's family, friends and the NBA community.

We're told officials wrestled with the idea of moving the event to the L.A. Coliseum -- which seats closer to 80,000 people -- before ultimately settling on Staples. After all, it's where Kobe played for 20 years and became a beloved figure in Los Angeles and around the world.

Tributes are popping up all over the city. Check out this mural in the Hollywood-area near The Grove.

We're told just like Michael Jackson and Nipsey Hussle's memorials -- which were also held at Staples -- streets around the building will be closed off for security and traffic control.

Law enforcement is urging fans without tickets to stay home and watch the broadcast on TV or online. The ceremony will NOT be broadcast on the screens outside Staples.

It's unclear who will speak at the memorial ... with dozens of people close to Kobe and Gigi wanting to take the mic to say kind words about the Lakers legend and his daughter.

We broke the story, Bryant and his daughter were 2 of 9 people who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.

Vanessa Bryant, who is expected to attend the event, said of the losses just days after the tragedy, "We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe -- the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna -- a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri."

The memorial stream will begin at 9:00 AM PT.