bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jonathan White

Kobe Bryant’s stolen high school basketball jersey was back on the wall of his Philadelphia school gym on Saturday night as they mourned the Los Angeles Lakers star.
The Lower Merion high school No 33 jersey was among a number of Bryant-related items stolen from the school in 2017 and it ended up sold to a fan in China, who wrote of his delight at its return on social media.
That fan, 28-year-old Liu Zhe, returned the jersey to the school last March after realising it was stolen.
On Saturday it was unveiled in the Lower Merion High School’s Bryant Gymnasium as the NBA star’s alma mater marked the first game since he was among nine killed in a helicopter crash, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, in California last Sunday.




















View this post on Instagram



















It is the jersey！I am so happy I can do the things for Kobe！！#kobe #kobebryant Kobe I miss you！
A post shared by 刘哲 (@kobeliuzhe) on Jan 28, 2020 at 7:31pm PST



Super fan Liu, who goes by the handle “kobeliuzhe” on Instagram, shared his thoughts on the social media platform.
“It is the jersey! I am so happy I can do the things for Kobe! Kobe I miss you!” he wrote with a photo shared by the Philadelphia 76ers NBA team.




















View this post on Instagram



















You probably don't know how great he is, @kobebryant you don't know how much fun basketball can bring to a boy, you don't know how many people fall in love with basketball because of him, you don't know how many people imitate his moves, you don't know because one person loves a team so many years. I always thought I had grown up, but only to find that I was a child, my youth was just life faded away. I will never forget the look on his face when he won every game. I will never forget his actions to prove that hard work can overcome talent. May the mamba spirit live on! Mamba Never Out!#kobe #mambamentality #thankyoukobe
A post shared by 刘哲 (@kobeliuzhe) on Jan 27, 2020 at 6:03am PST



The NBA team had exhibited the jersey as part of their tribute to Bryant and the other crash victims ahead of their win over the Golden State Warriors in Philadelphia last Wednesday.
Other Instagram users commented with thanks and respect for Liu’s generous act.
Liu, who had met the star several times during the NBA legend’s regular trips to China and has a large collection of signed Bryant memorabilia, had paid US$2,000 for the jersey online before realising it was stolen.


The signed jersey was taken from a display case at the school by two masked men in 2017.
The Harbin native contacted the school through Instagram and returned the jersey back in March, where it went to the police before being certified authentic by a local memorabilia store.
After Liu returned it to the school it went back on display before this week’s tributes at the Philadelphia 76ers and Lower Merion.

.@JustinThomas34 continued his tribute to Kobe Bryant by wearing the late NBA star’s high school jersey on the 16th hole during the Waste Management Phoenix Open pro-am. pic.twitter.com/YjjPXK8az9
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) January 29, 2020

Bryant played four seasons at the school, leading the Aces to the Pennsylvania state championship in 1996 before going straight into that year’s NBA draft.
He was drafted at 13 by the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Lakers, where he would spend two decades, winning five NBA championships.
Golfer Justin Thomas paid tribute to Bryant at the Phoenix Open on Saturday by wearing his Lower Merion uniform, while Tony Finau wore a Bryant Lakers jersey at the same tournament.

Kobe Bryant’s high school jersey was hung at Lower Merion High on a somber day to celebrate and remember “The Heartbeat of Aces Nation." It included 33 seconds of silence.

Story, video by @apgelston >> https://t.co/xXJ1xJNWAG pic.twitter.com/E6Fa6mLVne
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) February 1, 2020

Other sports stars who have paid tribute include Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian star Neymar, who warmed up ahead of their Ligue 1 game against Montpellier with a PSG shirt featuring Bryant’s name and the number 24.


Who is Jalen Brunson’s physiotherapist wife, Ali Marks? The New York Knicks star began dating his high school sweetheart in 2013, and Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo attended their Chicago nuptials

Bust-up between LA Lakers star Hachimura, coach threatens ambitious Japan’s hoop dreams

Former NBA star Derrick Rose could play for Yao Ming foundation in China charity match

Who is NBA draft hopeful Yang Hansen? Chinese teen idolises LeBron, dreams of stardom

NBA (National Basketball Association)

Chinese Kobe Bryant fan ‘happy’ stolen high school jersey back where it belongs

Kobe Bryant's Lower Merion jersey is unveiled in the Bryant Gymnasium during a ceremony at Lower Merion High School. Photo: AP

China’s love for Kobe Bryant shows other sports how to follow in his footsteps

Students at Shenyang Sport University pose for a group picture with a portrait of Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of his final NBA game in 2016. Photo: Xinhua

Kobe Bryant: China’s tributes led by ex-Lakers teammates as China mourns NBA star

Los Angeles Lakers fans in LeBron James and Kobe Bryant jerseys watch the NBA China Games 2019 in Shanghai. Photo: Reuters

Yi Jianlian, from China, newly acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers, poses in his new jersey during his introduction at the NBA basketball team's headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Sun Yue (9), of China, celebrates after scoring his first NBA points on a jumper against Milwaukee Bucks center Francisco Elson (9) during the fourth quarter of the basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

epa03100379 New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin (L) drives to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant defends during the 2nd half of the game at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, USA, 10 February 2012. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT CORBIS OUT

Kobe Bryant’s death is China’s loss as kindred spirit is mourned in ‘second home’

Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming and NBA commissioner David Stern pose with children during the NBA Cares Special Olympics Basketball Clinic in Shanghai in 2013. Photo: AP

Basketball - NBA China Games - Los Angeles Lakers v Brooklyn Nets - Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai, China - October 10, 2019. Fans in Lebron James jersey and the former team player Kobe Bryant jersy watch the game. REUTERS/Xihao Jiang

Sport

China

Basketball


Bryant super fan Liu Zhe returned jersey before it was used in tributes at Philadelphia 76ers and Lower Merion
NBA legend’s high school among many to mourn, including golfer Tony Finau and footballer Neymar



Chinese Kobe Bryant super fan Liu Zhe ‘happy’ stolen Lower Merion high school jersey returned for Philadelphia tributes.


Fame and celebrity

China society

Social media

Chinese Kobe Bryant fan ‘happy’ stolen high school jersey back where it belongs

Bryant super fan Liu Zhe returned jersey before it was used in tributes at Philadelphia 76ers and Lower Merion NBA legend’s high school among many to mourn, including golfer Tony Finau and footballer Neymar

Bryant super fan Liu Zhe returned jersey before it was used in tributes at Philadelphia 76ers and Lower Merion

NBA legend’s high school among many to mourn, including golfer Tony Finau and footballer Neymar