Kobe Sneaker Prices Jump Following Death of the Basketball Star

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While the sudden death last Sunday of basketball star Kobe Bryant has left many mourning, it has also left a hole burning in many pockets.

Nike’s online store has sold out of all Kobe Bryant related material, according to an article from CNN. This phenomena of heightened product sales after a celebrity death is nothing new though. After the musician Prince died in 2016, his combined album sales jumped and dominated overall album sales for the rest of the year.

Nike isn’t the only company that has seen a boon in sales. With online peer-to-peer resale shops such as StockX, individual sneaker fans can sell shoes directly to each other, with a portion of the profits going to StockX. The going rate for most Kobe apparel on StockX has drastically increased.

Sales for the Kobe 5 Proto Chaos shoes jumped from only 12 sales on Saturday to over 500 sales on Sunday and Monday combined. The average sale price rose by over $100 on average after his death was reported. Prices have mostly remained the same since then.

Preston Nehmer, a Winneconne high school student, is a fan of Kobe Bryant and his shoes.

“I could not believe what happened.” Nehmer said, “I sat there and did nothing besides think if it was really true that Kobe Bryant, my idol and inspiration, had died.”

Nehmer uses apps such as StockX and GOAT to purchase and resell shoes. Sometimes he makes major profit, or just some lunch money, according to Nehmer.

“All of my Kobe’s mean a lot to me and have an amazing story that touches me personally,” Nehmer said.

In reaction to the jumping prices on Kobe sneakers, Twitter sneakerheads have pounced on other users raising prices of the sneakers.

In response to the controversy, StockX has decided to donate their portion of Kobe-related sales to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant foundation, according to a tweet from StockX.

While many on Twitter were angered by the spike in prices, Nehmer was not surprised.

“Everyone wants to buy Kobe products to show our love for him and to pay our respect to him,” Nehmer said.