Nike site sells out of Kobe Bryant gear

Nike's online store has sold out of Kobe Bryant's collection after the legendary basketball star and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Gigi" died in a tragic helicopter crash in Los Angeles on Sunday along with seven others.

The website, where sports fans could purchase Bryant's popular sneakers, shirts and jerseys, doesn't show any merchandise related to Bryant, who played his entire 20-year career with the Lakers. Bryant signed a $40 million four-year deal with Nike in 2003.

Instead, when fans search for Bryant's collection, Nike.com shows a memorial message for the 41-year-old, who was nicknamed the "Black Mamba".

Earlier reports by ESPN suggested that Nike had pulled all of Bryant's merchandise from its sites to stop secondary resellers from buying them and raising prices.

A Nike spokesman said that was incorrect, and the company had sold out of Bryant merchandise and was evaluating how to handle future releases connected to him.

In the wake of Bryant's death, several Nike resellers have vowed not to mark up the price of his Nike shoes and other memorabilia.

Jaysse Lopez, founder of consignment company Urban Necessities, wrote on Instagram: "Not how I built my brand, or how I need to make a dollar."

But some secondhand resellers are taking advantage of the star's sudden passing, marking up products by as much as 300 percent, according to ESPN.

The message on Nike's website titled "In memory: Kobe Bryant" reads: "Along with millions of athletes and fans throughout the world, we are devastated by today's tragic news. We extend our deepest sympathies to those closest to Kobe and Gianna, especially their family and friends.

"Kobe was one of the greatest athletes of his generation and has had an immeasurable impact on the world of sport and the community of basketball. He was a beloved member of the Nike family. We will miss him greatly. Mamba forever."

Bryant was an 18-time All Star who played on five NBA championship Laker teams, won two Olympic gold medals, and in 2018, an Academy Award for Dear Basketball, an animated short film about his dreams of playing basketball.

He was a familiar face throughout the world and especially in China. There he worked to build Nike's brand into a $6 billion business, delighting local fans with his personal appearances. His jersey was also a bestseller in the country.

His shoes were among the top sellers for Nike for more than 15 years. The Nike Kobe signature series was worn by 100 NBA players this season. He was said to be very hands-on with Nike designers during all design processes. His popular shoes include the Nike Zoom Kobe V in 2009, Kobe 5 Big Stage Home sneakers (being sold for $1,250 and $2,000 on Stock X,) and the Nike Kobe 8 Mambacurial.

In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. He was charged with rape, but the case was dropped after the accuser declined to testify. A civil suit was later settled. Bryant, who married Vanessa Laine in 2001, admitted to having had sex with the woman but insisted that it was consensual.

Bryant retired in 2016 and was spending more time with his wife and four daughters. The crash on Sunday occurred as he was being flown to his Mamba Sports Academy, a youth sports center in Thousand Oaks, to coach Gigi's basketball team.

The victims also include pilot Ara Zobayan; John Altobelli, 56, the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California; his wife, Keri; their daughter Alyssa; coach Christina Mauser; Payton Chester, a 13-year-old basketball player; and her mother Sarah.