There is the rather cliché reaction
wherein following the death of a major universally-loved celebrity, any works
by his hand will appreciate, or increase, in value. If he was not a creative
artist like a painter or author, then any item related to him, such as official
merchandise, will get snapped up instead. With the tragic passing of relatively
young retired NBA legend Kobe Bryant at the start of this week, anything that
bears his name or likeness have become highly valuable to mourning collectors.
Just ask major athletic shoe brand Nike and the NBA about their various Kobe-branded
gear.
CBS News reports that the official NBA Store for player jerseys and
team merchandise actually ran out of LA Lakers jerseys with Kobe Bryant’s name
and numbers on them. This happened Monday, January 27 or a day following the
Black Mamba’s death in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California with his
daughter Gianna and seven others. No Kobe jerseys were found for online order on
the NBAStore.com official website, as well as the real-world store on Fifth
Avenue, NYC. Even the Lakers home court Staples Center could not offer merchandise
due to cleaning up after the 62nd Grammys held Sunday.
NBA Store was not the only one
that suffered a Kobe-stuff shortage. Look no further than Nike, longtime
creator of shoes customized for athletic superstars. Michael had his Air Jordan
series, Bryant got the Nike Zoom and variants, all of which have been sold out
from online ordering at Nike.com since Monday. Now, searches for Nike-branded
Kobe gear on Nike.com will lead instead to a tribute screen in remembrance of
the 20-year career Laker. About the only helpful advice a company spokesperson
can give for Bryant memorabilia collectors would be to scour retail outlets
such as shoe stores and partner chains such as Foot Locker.
Kobe Bryant came on board with
Nike back in 2003 and has been very hands-on in the conceptualization, design
and marketing of his signature shoes, noted by analysts to be the choice of
hardwood competition footwear by over 100 active NBA players or close to 25% of
the league’s athletes. The company is now debating on how to proceed forward
with its Kobe line of shoes and merchandise now that their active collaborator
has gone.
As for the NBA Store, its shortage
of official Laker Kobe jerseys was quickly remedied for the moment. The purple-and-gold
24’s were restocked and selling at $300 each, while autographed pieces fetch
bigger prices online.
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