Kobe Bryant is trying to make sure his mother doesn't go to the hoop with an upcoming auction. The NBA star is embroiled in a bitter legal battle with his mother, Pamela Bryant, over a deal she made with an auction company to sell hoards of his basketball memorabilia. The items included Bryant's 1998 All Star ring, NBA championship rings, a Lakers jacket and numerous trophies Kobe has collected over the years, but he's trying to block the memorabilia auction from taking place.

TMZ reports that Pamela Bryant received a $450,000 advance from Goldin Auctions, which she claims will be put directly towards buying a new home. She also claims that she has been keeping the items in storage at a cost of $1,500 per months. According to the lawsuit, Pamela told the auction house Kobe gave her all of the items outright five years ago. However, Kobe has disputed this and claims that he is the rightful owner of all the items.

Goldin Auctions has since decided to take the dispute to court by naming Kobe as the defendant and asking Pamela to be declared as the rightful owner of all the memorabilia.

"Mr. Bryant's personal property has ended up in the possession of someone who does not lawfully own it," said Mark Campbell of Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles, the firm representing Kobe in the trial.

The attorney for Goldin Auctions cited the potential loss of the advance payment to Bryant's mother, as well as the loss of a 20 percent commission on auction sales. They also noted that Pamela had roughly 900 other pieces of memorabilia related to Kobe that had a total estimated value of $1.5 million.

The judge in the case has not given any indication as to when the final verdict may take place.