EBay is taking action against resellers who are looking to pawn off the exclusive Kobe Bryant memorial t-shirts and programs that were given to attendees at the Staples Center memorial service on February 24th. Those who were fortunate enough to be in attendance received a special edition t-shirt and program, both featuring memorable photos taken of the Laker legend and his daughter.
Almost immediately after the conclusion of the event, those Kobe shirts and programs began popping up on eBay, with one seller netting more than $2,000 for the commemorative Kobe t-shirt. Others were offering "Kobe Memorial" bundle packs, which includes the t-shirt and program, with starting bids of $3,000 and a "Buy It Now" of $5,000.
However, TMZ reports that all of those items will soon be pulled from eBay if they haven't been removed from the site already.
According to TMZ, eBay emailed the following message to one seller who was looking to cash in on their Kobe memorial merch.
"Please note, due to sudden and tragic passing of Kobe Bryant - eBay has made the decision to prohibit the sale of merchandise, images and mugs relating to their passing. We do not allow listings that attempt to profit from human tragedy or suffering."
This isn't the first time that opportunistic resellers have looked to pad their pockets with mourners' money. Almost immediately after news of the tragic helicopter crash was confirmed, Nike sold out of their stock of Kobe gear and the prices of Kobe's popular Nike sneakers jumped to more than 4x the amount that they typically resell for.
eBay will still allow users to sell other Kobe memorabilia, such as sneakers, jerseys and autographs, but sellers will have to look elsewhere if they want to cash in on the memorial merchandise.
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Kobe Bryant Memorial Merch Hits eBay With Exorbitant Prices
T-shirts and programs from the Kobe and Gianna Bryant memorial are already selling for thousands of dollars on eBay.
More than 20,000 people packed the Staples Center on Monday for the Kobe and Gianna Bryant memorial service, including NBA and WNBA legends past and present, musicians, celebrities and fans. According to ESPN, more than 80,000 people entered a random drawing for the chance to purchase tickets to the service, but only a fraction actually got through.
Those who were fortunate enough to be in attendance received a special edition t-shirt and program, both featuring memorable photos taken of the Laker legend and his daughter. While most Kobe fans will cherish those items forever, others have taken to eBay in an attempt to cash in.
According to TMZ Sports, one seller's Kobe t-shirt from the memorial service sold for $2,025 after less than 24 hours on the auction block. Others are offering "Kobe Memorial" bundle packs, which includes the t-shirt and program, with starting bids of $3,000 and a "Buy It Now" of $5,000. Of course, this isn't the first time that opportunistic resellers have looked to pad their pockets with mourners' money.
Almost immediately after news of the tragic helicopter crash was confirmed, Nike sold out of their stock of Kobe gear and the prices of Kobe's popular Nike sneakers jumped to more than 4x the amount that they typically resell for.
Whether or not you agree that it's morally wrong, we can expect much of the same when Nike drops the "Lakers" Kobe 5 Protro next month.
Rob Pelinka Divulges Kobe Bryant Texted Him Moments Before Crash
Kobe Bryant and Rob Pelinka shared a tight bond for years prior to Kobe's untimely passing.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna tragically passed away in a helicopter accident, alongside seven other people, on January 26th. The whole basketball community has been in a state of shock since their deaths and numerous tributes have poured in since. Yesterday, the city of Los Angeles got to pay respects to Kobe and Gigi as a public memorial was held at the Staples Center. Numerous people spoke at the event, including those who Kobe knew best. One of those people was none other than Rob Pelinka who was Kobe's agent for many years. Pelinka is now the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers and up until Kobe's death, the two remained in touch.
During Pelinka's speech, he revealed that Kobe was texting him just moments prior to the helicopter accident. In true Kobe fashion, the Lakers legend was looking to help out a friend with an internship. Kobe wanted to know if Pelinka knew any baseball agents his friend could potentially intern with.
The story is a happy reminder of the kind of person Kobe was. While he may have been ruthless on the court, he was someone who wanted to help those who deserved a chance. While Pelinka was sad throughout his speech, you could tell he was beaming with pride over just how great his friend was.
Kobe Bryant Memorial: Snoop Dogg Sends Prayers To Kobe’s Parents
Kobe Bryant’s memorial was attended by thousands of people including Snoop Dogg, who sent prayers to Kobe’s family.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant tragically past away on January 26th in a helicopter accident in California. The crash claimed the lives of seven other people and the entire world is still in shock about it. Even now, it still feels odd to say Kobe is no longer with us. Tributes have been rolling in over the last month and yesterday, it felt like the whole city of Los Angeles was at the Staples Center to say one final goodbye to Kobe and Gianna. There were a plethora of celebrities at the event, including Snoop Dogg who took to Instagram afterward and wrote a thoughtful message for Kobe’s parents.
“Sending love and. Prayers to momma. And Pappa Bean Bryant,” Snoop wrote. “Thank u for giving us. Kobe we love y’all and praying for your strength as parents to keep moving on from the. Broadus family.”
Snoop Dogg is a huge fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe’s death has certainly been hard for him to process. In that sense, Snoop is like millions of other basketball fans who looked up to Kobe as he made his way through the league, eventually winning five championships. While it’s sad that Kobe and Gianna are no longer here, yesterday was a true celebration of their lives. It may have been hard to swallow, but the entire event was beautiful as thousands came together for one cause.
LeBron James Honors Kobe & Gianna Bryant On Instagram
LeBron James paid tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant who died in a helicopter crash on January 26th.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant tragically passed away on January 26th in a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of seven other people. The tragedy is still hard to make sense of as the families continue to mourn their lost loved ones. Today, the city of Los Angeles came together as a public memorial was held for Kobe and Gianna at the Staples Center. Numerous big names were at the event including Beyoncé, Shaq, Michael Jordan, Rob Pelinka, and many others. It was a beautiful celebration of two lives that were taken from us way too soon.
Today, LeBron James took to Instagram where he offered up a tribute of his own. In the post below, James shares the date, February 24th or 2/24. Of course, this date is significant because it combines Gianna and Kobe’s jersey numbers. LeBron also added a purple and yellow heart to signify the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James has been a leader on the Lakers this season and has helped his teammates deal with the death of a mentor. Kobe loved the Lakers organization and the players loved him back. While it must be difficult to continue on with the season, the players have handled it with dignity and grace.
As we head towards the playoffs, it looks like the Lakers are setting themselves up for a deep run that will surely make Kobe proud.
Shaq Tells Hilarious Kobe Bryant Story During Staples Center Memorial
Kobe Bryant always had an intense competitive spirit about him.
Kobe Bryant's passing is something that many people have yet to come to terms with. It's hard to put into words just how much he meant to not just the basketball community but the world as a whole. What makes his death more shocking, is that it was alongside his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people. Their lives were lost way too soon and it's hard to fathom how the families are coping right now. Today, a memorial for Kobe and Gianna was held at the Staples Center and it featured some touching tributes.
Near the end of the event, Kobe's former teammate, Shaq, got up on stage to tell some stories about their time playing together. Shaq told a particularly hilarious story in which he had to confront Kobe for not passing. When Shaq said "there is no I in team," Kobe clapped back and said, "I know but there's a 'M-E' in that motha fucka."
The camera panned to various people in the crowd and they were all laughing hysterically at what Shaq had just said. Shaq's story resonated with the crowd because it spoke to just how competitive Kobe was. Everyone knows Kobe was a competitive guy and the story strengthened that notion further.
In a time where everyone is sad, it was good to see Shaq make people laugh. Kobe brought a lot of people joy and today was a celebration of that.
Kobe Bryant’s Staples Memorial Will Be Delivered To Vanessa Bryant
Over 1300 basketballs were left in honor of Kobe.
Kobe Bryant's tragic death has left the basketball world in shock. Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven other victims. In the aftermath of Bryant's death, thousands of fans have made the trek to Staples Center where they left flowers, basketballs, and balloons in Kobe and Gianna's honor. While these tributes are beautiful, it was made apparent by Staples Center President Lee Zeidman that they wouldn't be able to stay there. In fact, the entire memorial in front of Staples was cleaned up on Monday.
The tributes won't be forgotten, however, according to the Associated Press, Kobe's wife, Vanessa, would be receiving many of the items left at the memorial. In fact, some other family members will also be given items. Zeidman recently took to Twitter where he gave a detailed look at what was cleaned up, including 1353 basketballs.
Many of the items found at the memorial were letters and candles. In fact, 25,000 candles and 5,000 letters were collected which just goes to show how beloved Bryant was in the city of Los Angeles. Many of these letters will be delivered to Vanessa Bryant who will get to see just how much Kobe meant to everyone.
Hopefully, these letters can live on forever.