Preston Truman sues over Kobe Bryant memorabilia dispute

Preston Truman, a former Utah Jazz ball boy, has filed a lawsuit in Utah’s 3rd District Court against Jason Silverstein and GWC Holdings LLC regarding a dispute over Kobe Bryant’s rookie-season NBA playoff shoes.

Truman alleges that Silverstein falsely claimed an ownership interest in the memorabilia, which disrupted an auction held by Heritage Auctions. While the shoes were expected to fetch at least $300,000, the ownership dispute reportedly depressed the final sale price to $99,000.

The lawsuit claims that although Truman had previously paid Silverstein $30,000 to buy out a 30% fractional interest in the shoes through the platform Collectable, an unknown party sent a letter to Heritage Auctions just days before the sale closed claiming an ownership stake. Truman alleges Silverstein was behind this claim.