The treasure trove of Kobe Bryant memorabilia found in an abandoned storage locker has been returned to the NBA star's family, TMZ Sports has learned.
We broke the story ... someone recently won an auction for an abandoned locker in L.A. -- like a scene out of "Storage Wars" -- which contained everything from Kobe Bryant shoes to jerseys and even a mink coat from a photoshoot.
In total, there were 35 pairs of shoes, jerseys, Lakers practice gear, a Lakers all-access badge that says, "Mamba," tax paperwork and more.
The buyer ended up selling the items to "Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda for roughly $13,000 ... and the original plan was to make a fortune on the open market.
But, we're told Vanessa Bryant learned about the auction and felt the items belonged with the Bryant family -- so her reps reached out to Rene before he put them up for sale in hopes of working out a deal.
We spoke with Rene who tells us, "Everything has been worked out. A number of personal items, worn items, and paperwork were sold directly back to the Bryant family."
Rene wouldn't tell us the sale price because of the terms of the agreement -- but sources close to the deal say it wasn't about turning a profit, it was about getting the items back to the family in a fair way.
That said, Rene was able to keep some of the items that were NOT worn by Kobe -- some cool shoes and shirts ... and he is planning on selling those for profit.