Morning Briefing: That name has a familiar ring to it

If you’ve wanted to get your hands on a genuine imitation NBA championship ring, say one that is a replica ordered by Kobe Bryant and given to his mom after the Lakers won the NBA title in 2000, then you are in luck.

Goldin Auctions has just the ring you are looking for.

As the auction house states on its website, “Offered here is the very 14K gold 2000 Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship ring gifted by Kobe to his mother Pam Bryant. Obviously proud of winning his first NBA Championship a mere three years out of high school, Kobe Bryant magnanimously ordered an additional ring to present to his mother, Pam Bryant.

”This ring features a total of 40 diamonds, including five larger round diamonds on either side of the face, which displays ‘LAKERS’ filled with purple enamel. ‘WORLD CHAMPIONS’ reads in relief lettering. The NBA league logo centers one side, with the name ‘BRYANT’ at the top and the number ‘8’ at the bottom. Also appearing are banners that reveal both the Lakers regular season mark of 67-15 as well as their postseason win-loss record of 15-8. An image of a basketball hoop — with a diamond as a basketball — appears on the opposite side along with ‘BLING BLING’ and ‘2000.’

You have to love any description of an item that includes the phrase “magnanimously ordered an additional ring to present to his mother.” I tried to do that once for my mom, but the makers of Cracker Jack said they wouldn’t special-order a ring and I’d have to buy more boxes and take my chances.

The ring comes with a letter of authenticity and opening bid is $20,000. So what are you waiting for?

What’s 1+1 again?

The Kardashian curse, in which athletes who date a member of the Kardashian family have their career, and the record of their team, go into a tailspin, apparently extends to the Jenners too — at least that’s what fans of Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers say. They have been extremely unhappy after Kendall Jenner started showing up at games to support Simmons, whom she is dating.

But Jenner has one big supporter on her side: the team’s co-owner.

When asked about it by TMZ Sports, Michael Rubin said “13-2 since they’ve been dating,” meaning the team has gone 13-2 since the two started seeing each other.

However, the 76ers are actually 11-4 since the two started dating, which tells us that the Kardashian curse also hurts math skills.

Hall of dreams

Newly elected Baseball Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera made his first visit to Cooperstown, N.Y., to see the museum in which he will be enshrined.

‘’I can’t comprehend it. It’s just amazing. Too much,’’ Rivera said. ‘’It’s quite a journey from a fishing village to a place where the best of the best is.”

Rivera was born in Panama, and becomes only the second person from that country to be enshrined. The first is Rod Carew, whom Rivera paid tribute to during his visit.

‘’He put us on the map the way he played the game, the way he went about the game,’’ Rivera said of Carew. ‘’He represented us in a great way that we can never forget no matter what I did. If it wasn’t for him, it would have been different. He was a special man.’’

Rivera also spent time at the plaque for Jackie Robinson. Rivera was the final person to wear No. 42, and he was allowed to keep wearing it after the number was retired across baseball in 1997.

‘’I was so happy and so glad when major league baseball retired that number,’’ Rivera said. ‘’Me being the last player using his number, representing the legacy of Jackie Robinson, was magnificent. I was blessed with that, being able to represent him with dignity.’’