Three NBA championship rings stolen from former Laker A.C. Green, authorities say

(CBS/AP) PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. - Police said Thursday that three NBA championship rings were stolen from the Southern California home of former Los Angeles Lakers forward A.C. Green.

Green, 49, believes the rings were taken by workers he hired to move belongings into storage, Palos Verdes Estates police Sgt. Steve Barber said.

The diamond-encrusted rings with Green's No. 45 on them are worth an estimated $25,000 apiece, but Barber said they are "priceless" to the former player. But they would be tough to sell.

"They are worth a lot of money, especially to somebody who is a collector," Barber told the Daily Breeze newspaper. "It's going to be really difficult for somebody to pawn it off," Barber said.

The stolen items include a ring Green won in 1987 over the Boston Celtics alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and another won in 2000 over the Indiana Pacers with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. The third was given to him by the team after it beat the Orlando Magic in 2009.

Green also won a title and ring in 1988, but that ring was not reported stolen.

Green, a power forward who also played for the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, retired in 2001.

Barber said the suspects were not identified and no arrests were made, but police put the word out to other agencies and attempted to publicize the theft in the hope of getting leads.

"There are plenty of Laker fans in L.A. who wouldn't want one of the best players who played for them in a long time to lose his rings," Barber said.