Ex-Lakers player selling NBA championship rings to support Ukraine

Slava Medvedenko, a former Los Angeles Lakers player from Ukraine, has put his NBA championship rings up for auction, with the goal of donating the entire amount to relief efforts in his home country.

"Two-time champion Slava Medvedenko is selling his championship rings to support relief efforts in his native Ukraine," the Lakers said on Twitter on Tuesday.

The bidding will end on Aug. 5 and "100% of the proceeds from the auction go to Slava's Fly High Foundation," the Western Conference franchise added.

The 2001 and 2002 NBA championship rings are 14 karat gold and emblazoned with diamonds.

The minimum bid is $5,000 per ring, with current bids nearing $60,000.

Medvedenko, 43, was a Lakers power forward from 2000 to 2006, winning two NBA titles with the Western Conference franchise.

He joined the Atlanta Hawks in late 2006, before retiring from the game in 2007.

Russia's war on Ukraine began on Feb. 24.

At least 5,237 civilians have been killed and 7,035 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24, according to the UN. Some 10 million people have also fled to neighboring countries.