Record sale for Kobe Bryant in Newport Coast

Kobe Bryant is finding new ways to add records to his storied career.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard sold his home in the Pelican Ridge area for $6,116,500 on Friday, according to the Multiple Listing Service, the highest price ever paid for a home in the Newport Coast enclave. The sale bests the previous high-water mark set by an 8,000-square-foot home that sold for $4.78 million in 2013.

Bryant, who owns other property in the area, originally asked as much as $8.599 million for the 8,741-square home in 2013. More recently, it was priced at $6.45 million.

Built in Mediterranean style in 1997, the house was recently renovated and expanded and has walnut floors, limestone, stone pillars and detailed molding throughout. Two stories of living space take in unobstructed ocean and city views.

Among custom highlights is an 850-square-foot gym, a hair salon and a wood-paneled office with a built-in shark tank. A home theater is outfitted with a lobby entrance, stadium seating and a wet bar. There are four bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms, including a master suite with a private sitting room, a newly added walk-in closet and a marble-lined bath.

Outdoors, landscaped grounds contain a pool and spa with waterfall features, a fire pit and an outdoor kitchen.

Bryant bought the home from sports agent Dwight Manley in 2001, after his fifth season with the Lakers.

Jordan Cohen of Re/Max Olson & Associates was the listing agent, according to the Multiple Listing Service. Marcy Weinstein and Rex McKown of Surterre Properties represented the buyer in the sale.

Swinging for a high-dollar sale

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. is swinging for the fences with his latest home offering. Matthews has put his custom-built home in Corona del Mar on the market for $15.5 million — $12.5 million more than what he paid for the property in 2010.

At that price, a sale would be among the highest valued single-family home transactions ever for the Orange County community and the most expensive since the 22,000-square-foot Portabello Estate sold for $34,119,500 in 2010.

Comparatively, the median sale price for single-family homes in the area in April was $2.063 million, based on 14 sales, according to CoreLogic DataQuick.

Designed by Carlton Graham and completed in 2013, the two-story contemporary offers wide views of Balboa Island, Newport Harbor and the surrounding coastline from a third of an acre bluff.

The 6,232 square feet of living space has a polished look with brushed matte finishes, beamed white oak ceilings, imported limestone and clerestory windows.

Light-filled living spaces include an open-area common room anchored by a wall fireplace, a modern center-island kitchen, four bedrooms and five bathrooms.

A lower-level lounge holds a glass-enclosed trophy room, an office, a wet bar and a wine cellar with a tasting area. Walls of glass slide to reveal an infinity-edge pool with a raised spa, while a small courtyard marks the entrance to the home.

Records show that Matthews paid $3 million for the property in 2010. He owns other homes in the area, including a single-level home in the Cameo Highlands neighborhood that he had on the market for $3.55 million last year.

Tim Smith of Coldwell Banker Previews International is the listing agent.

Matthews, 40, is the son of former ballplayer and baseball commentator Gary Matthews. He played for nine teams across 12 seasons with the Angels, Padres and Rangers, among others, making one all-star team in 2006.

Heisman winner moves on

Former USC quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart has completed the handoff of his Manhattan Beach digs, selling the three-story home for $2.077 million.

The 2,135-square-foot house, with an open-area floor plan and a pair of wraparound decks, returned to the market in April for about $2.4 million, up from $2.059 million last year. Records show that Leinart purchased the home in 2012 for $1.45 million.

Built in 1971, the home features an updated kitchen with a breakfast bar, a family room, a living room, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. There are two fireplaces and ocean-view decks extending off of the second and third floors.

Off the main floor, a small yard sits beneath an awning. Spiral staircases, one inside and one out, run between each level of the three-story home.

Nicholas Schneider of Palm Realty Boutique was the listing agent. Mark Leddy, also with Palm Realty Boutique, represented the buyer in the sale.

Leinart, a former first-round NFL draft pick, retired last year after six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders. The 32-year-old currently serves as a studio analyst for the Pac-12 Networks.

Splashing down in O.C.

Klay Thompson, half of the Golden State Warriors’ sweet-shooting “Splash Brothers,” now has a splashy home to go with the title. The shooting guard bought an ocean-view home in Dana Point this year for $2.2 million.

Set on more than a quarter of an acre in the Capistrano Beach area, the Spanish-style ranch house has a central courtyard with a pool and spa, two guest casitas and a 100-foot-wide patio with unobstructed ocean views.

The single-story house, replete with vaulted ceilings with exposed beams, features a family room/dining room with a fireplace and an entertainment wing with a wet bar, a pool table and a lounge area. The ocean-view master suite has his-and-hers baths for three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in more than 2,400 square feet.

A pair of two-car garages flank the entrance to the home.

The property originally came to market for the sale price in December and was under contract in about 10 days, records show.

Michael Boyd of Coldwell Banker was the listing agent, according to the Multiple Listing Service. Casey Wootan of Century 21 OMA represented Thompson in the sale, which closed in February.

Thompson, the son of former Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Mychal Thompson, was an all-star this year, his fourth in the league, and averaged 21.7 points per game while shooting 43.9% from beyond the three-point line during the regular season. In November, the 25-year-old signed a four-year extension with the Warriors worth about $70 million.

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