ARDMORE, Pa. — Kobe Bryant’s high school jersey spent more time in China of late than it did hanging on the wall of the gym named in honor of the school’s career leading scorer.
Bryant’s retired No. 33 jersey was stolen in 2017 from Lower Merion High School’s campus and eventually bought by a collector in China. Suspicious the jersey was stolen, the Kobe collector contacted the school and helped return the keepsake to suburban Philadelphia, a process already underway before Bryant was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash.
The uniform was at last back Saturday where it belonged—unveiled under a spotlight by Bryant’s cousin, his old high school coach, and a former teammate at Bryant Gymnasium.