Fan buys Kobe Bryant's stolen 'Lower Merion' jersey in China for $2,000 and returns it to the Lakers legend's high school two years after it went missing

  • Bryant's retired No. 33 jersey was stolen from his former high school in 2017
  • A Bryant fan in China recently purchased it from an online seller, but was initially unaware that it had been taken from Philadelphia's Lower Merion High School 
  • The 28-year-old man initially intended to return the jersey to Bryant in person when the 18-time NBA All-Star made an appearance in Shenzhen on Saturday
  • He later connected with the school through Instagram and agreed to mail it back
  • The man did not ask for any compensation for returning the jersey to LMHS 
  • The deal was brokered by Saiyuan Bian, a professional basketball player in China
  • Lower Merion coach and Bryant's former high school teammate Gregg Downer has known Bian since 2014, when his Shanxi Brave Dragons did a tour of the U.S. 

By Alex Raskin Sports News Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant looks to Jermine Griffin, right, the co-captain from his senior year of basketball at Lower Merion High School, as Bryant's high school jersey number, 33, is hoisted up to the top of the Lower Merion High School gym and retired on January 26, 2002, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. In 2017 the jersey was stolen, and recently resurfaced in China

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant looks to Jermine Griffin, right, the co-captain from his senior year of basketball at Lower Merion High School, as Bryant's high school jersey number, 33, is hoisted up to the top of the Lower Merion High School gym and retired on January 26, 2002, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. In 2017 the jersey was stolen, and recently resurfaced in China

Two years after it went missing from Pennsylvania's Lower Merion High, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's retired jersey has been purchased over 6,000 miles away in China and has been returned to the Philadelphia-area school.

As reported by ESPN, 28-year-old Kobe Bryant fan Liu Zhe bought the jersey from an online seller in October for $2,000 without realizing that it was the stolen jersey.

The resident of Harbin, China had intended to add it to his collection of Bryant memorabilia, but as he told ESPN, he began realizing that looked similar to the framed Bryant jersey that had gone missing from Lower Merion in 2017, along with the team's 1996 PIAA Boys' Basketball 4A State Championship trophy and Bryant's Parade All-American plaque.

Liu initially intended to return the jersey to Bryant in person when the 18-time NBA All-Star made an appearance in Shenzhen on Saturday to announce the draw for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

However, he later connected with the school through Instagram and agreed to mail the uniform back to Pennsylvania.

Liu is not asking for any compensation for donating the jersey, although he does hope Bryant becomes aware of his good deed.

Liu initially intended to return the jersey to Bryant in person when the 18-time NBA All-Star made an appearance in Shenzhen on Saturday to announce the draw for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. However, he later connected with the school through Instagram and agreed to mail the uniform back to Pennsylvania

Liu initially intended to return the jersey to Bryant in person when the 18-time NBA All-Star made an appearance in Shenzhen on Saturday to announce the draw for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. However, he later connected with the school through Instagram and agreed to mail the uniform back to Pennsylvania

The deal was brokered by Saiyuan Bian, a professional basketball player in China, who helped with the translation.

Lower Merion head coach and Bryant's former high school teammate Gregg Downer has known Bian since 2014, when his Shanxi Brave Dragons did a tour of the U.S.

'We reached out to Bian and said, "I think that this guy may be demanding a meeting with Kobe, but maybe it's getting lost in translation,"' Young told ESPN. 'So Bian, our friend from China, became kind of the intermediary in all of this.'

Liu explained that he was motivated to return the jersey because of something Brayant had written to him in a note during a previous meeting between the two.

'He signed, 'Dream big! Live epic! Mamba mentality,'' Liu told ESPN, referring to Bryant's nickname. 'What I did was my 'mamba mentality.''

The school received the jersey last week and turned it over to local police, who verified its authenticity with a New Jersey-based memorabilia store.

The jersey was one of 10 replicas made when the school retired Bryant's No. 33, most of which were dispersed among boosters.

The one that was on display at the school was stolen on Super Bowl Sunday in 2017.

Lower Merion police are investigating in hopes of recovering the other missing items, and the department says it has received other useful information from Liu.

'We'd love to know what happened to the other items too but just the fact that someone, when they realized what they had, was willing to send it back and do the right thing was a very welcome turn of events,' Young said. 'We're very excited to have the jersey back in its appropriate place.'

Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers hall of famer Julius Dr. J Erving (L) presents Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) his Lower Merion high school uniform prior to the game at Wells Fargo Center in 2015. Bryant actually wore No. 33 in high school

Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers hall of famer Julius Dr. J Erving (L) presents Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) his Lower Merion high school uniform prior to the game at Wells Fargo Center in 2015. Bryant actually wore No. 33 in high school 

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