Slava Medvedenko gets replacement championship rings from the Lakers / News - Basketnews.com

Slava Medvedenko sold off the championship rings he won with the Lakers in 2001 and 2002 in an auction to help Ukraine. The Lakers organization gave him two replacement ones.

Credit: Instagram/slava_megapanda; USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit Instagram/slava_megapanda; USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

Last summer, former Los Angeles Lakers player Slava Medvedenko sold off both NBA championship rings he won with the team in 2001 and 2002. The organization decided to repay the player.

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With Pau Gasol also present at the All-Access Lakers event, the president of the Lakers organization Jeanie Buss gave the Ukrainian player two new replacement rings for the ones he sold to help his home country in the war against Russia.

Two separate auctions for both of the rings closed in August at SCP Auctions, both getting sold at $126,767 for a combined value of $253,534. All of the money went directly to helping Ukraine in the war.

Medvedenko started his professional path with Budivelnik Kyiv in 1997. Before joining the Lakers in 2000, he played in Ukraine and Lithuania.

The Ukrainian forward spent six years with the team and had his best season in 2003-04 when he started 38 games in place of injured Hall of Famer Karl Malone averaging 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds.

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