Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant finally had his high school jersey returned, two years after it was stolen, according to a report from ESPN.
The framed jersey was stolen from a display case at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, in February 2019, and was recently returned from a Kobe superfan in China named Liu Zhe.
Liu reportedly paid $2,000 for the jersey, which he later realized was stolen. Liu reportedly has a Kobe jersey collection, including both the No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys that Kobe donned throughout his career, as well as Kobe’s No. 10 Olympics jersey. (RELATED: NBA Legend Makes Absurd Comment When Comparing LeBron, Kobe, Jordan)
New story: More than two years after it was stolen from a display case at Lower Merion High School and following a trip halfway around the world and back, Kobe Bryant’s high school uniform has been returned. https://t.co/ovwRSjH8nJ
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 13, 2019
This is obviously an incredible story. I’m no statistician, but I have to believe the chances of a jersey being stolen, making it halfway around the world, and then being returned to its owner within a two-year span is quite low. (RELATED: Masked Burglars Steal Kobe Bryant Memorabilia From His High School’s Display Case)
You have to give Liu a lot of credit. He’s obviously a massive Kobe fan, and paid a lot of money for this jersey, but in the end did the right thing. In a world where people often place their own self-interest over those of others, Liu set an example for all of us.
Hopefully, Kobe will send a signed jersey his way.
Lower Merion Released a statement to The Daily Caller thanking Liu for returning the jersey:
“The Lower Merion School District is appreciative that the fan in China did the right thing and returned the Kobe Bryant jersey to Lower Merion High School. We remain hopeful that the other stolen items will be returned as well and appreciate the continued work of the Lower Merion Township police to recover the items.”