Search “Kobe” on Nike’s website two days after the helicopter crash and you get a page titled “In Memory: Kobe Bryant.” Nothing is for sale. The company has sold out.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, died Sunday along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. ESPN first reported that Nike had stopped selling his gear. A company representative told Forbes otherwise: the stock was gone. A spokesperson later told ESPN that every Kobe item online had sold out, that some merchandise might still be in stores, and that Nike was rethinking how it releases his sneaker line.
Nike signed Bryant to a sneaker deal in 2003 and had put out the Kobe V Protro Chaos in North America on Jan. 3. More than 100 NBA players wore his signature shoes this season, ESPN reported. The Lakers website had no Kobe apparel either. The NBA’s site was selling his 8 and 24 jerseys for $300 each, with shipping promised before July 15.
Resale prices climb
On StockX, the last sale of the Kobe 4 Protro Undefeated Phoenix Suns went for $450, up 58 percent. The Kobe 4 Protro Undefeated Los Angeles Lakers was listed from $449 to $4,000, and the Kobe 4 Protro Carpe Diem from $440 to $2,481.
On eBay, a pair of Nike Hyperdunk Supreme Kobe Bryant Lakers PE “Snakepools” was up for $17,824, with a free signed basketball thrown in. A 1996 Topps Chrome #138 rookie card, signed in blue Sharpie, was listed at $1 million. Autographed, framed back-to-back championship jerseys were priced at $24,800.
Some sellers hold back
Not everyone wanted the money. StockX said it would give all proceeds from Kobe-related sneakers, trading cards and merchandise for the week after his death to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. “The increased interest is a testament to his impact both on and off the court,” the company said.
Jaysse Lopez, founder of the sneaker reseller Urban Necessities, wrote on Instagram that he had “instructed staff we are not upping the price of any Kobe products at all.” He added: “Not how I built my brand or how I need to make a dollar.”
Nike’s own statement called Bryant “a beloved member of the Nike family” and ended with two words: “Mamba forever.”
Sources
- Nike Sells Out of Kobe Bryant Merchandise After Athlete’s Death
- Nike sells out of Kobe Bryant merchandise, as resellers take steps to not profit off tragedy
