The sports world still hasn’t fully recovered from the Jan. 26 death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a California helicopter crash. Yesterday, 29 days since the tragedy, the Los Angeles Lakers—the only team Bryant played for during his 20-year career—held a memorial service that included a Kobe T-shirt for attendees that is bound to induce tears for years.
Those attending Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial are receiving this T-Shirt and this program pic.twitter.com/Jfi44r6waV
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 24, 2020
The Staples Center served as the site for fans to celebrate the life of Kobe and Gianna, with attendees taking home not only heartfelt recollections of Bryant’s influence on the game but also a “KB” pin, a program and the Kobe T-shirt, the design of which is quite touching. Attendees also received a ticket for section 8, row 24, seat 2, with the numbers giving a nod to the jerseys that Kobe and Gianna wore.
Featuring three images of the fallen superstar and his second daughter, the shirt captures the two in jubilant times following Lakers’ victories and during an occasion where they were taking in a game. The garment and the other items went to those who paid between $24.02 and $242 for tickets to the event, and while one would think the goods, especially the Kobe T-shirt, would resonate as keepsakes for everyone involved, we have learned that some people are, of course, already reselling them in the name of earning a buck.
Front and back the Kobe and Gianna Celebration of Life program and the front and back of the commemorative ticket. pic.twitter.com/s4LfagEduI
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) February 24, 2020
While that is certainly their right, something seems off about their decision because of the sentiment involved in their creation. However, since Nike, immediately after his death, experienced a Bryant merchandise explosion that certainly saw some buyers purchasing materials only to sell them off, we’re not shocked that someone would look to profit off the loss of the icon, and we are interested to see what sort of social media reaction that people have to the selling of the Kobe T-shirt and to the marketing of other products dealing with his identity and that of his daughter.
