Justin Bieber started a trend with some cartoon Kobe Bryant tribute art ... and now Kobe's foundation is reaping a sizable benefit.
Here's the deal ... Justin bought some fresh Kobe-inspired artwork from Idiot Box Art owners Emily Bright and Tamara Martin, and then the artists started making and selling miniature versions for $200 a pop, with 24 percent of the profits going to the MambaOnThree Fund.
The cartoon Kobe art is pretty cool ... it's a teddy bear wearing a Mamba hoodie under Kobe's #8 Lakers jersey, palming a basketball and rocking some of Kobe's signature Nikes.