Did Nike Stop Selling Kobe Bryant Merchandise?

Apparently there are conflicting reports regarding Kobe Bryant merchandise sold on Nike.com.

ESPN reported Monday that Nike stopped selling Kobe merchandise pulled all of his items off of Nike.com along with some resellers. According to the report Nike suspended sales to keep resellers from hiking up prices and profiting from his death.

Tuesday morning I read the article on ESPN.com and it did say Nike had suspended all sales on Bryant’s products. It also said searches for Kobe items bring you to a yellow and purple gift card with the LA Lakers logo.

Then Tuesday evening Forbes reported someone from Nike said they actually sold out of Bryant’s merchandise in an email sent to them. The email to Forbes stated that Nike did not pull any of his products.

Wow.

ESPN.com has since been updated and corrected the article to say the Nike.com website sold out of Kobe items. It also goes on to say Nike is trying to figure out it’s strategy going forward regarding Kobe merch and will sell any related items in stock and in stores.

As for consignment locations according to Forbes some of them will not be selling his merchandise out of respect for his family and legacy for now.

We are going to need these news sources to slow down and make sure the information is accurate especially with the loss of such an extraordinary man.

Don’t panic, you will be able to still purchase authentic Kobe Bryant items and his signature sneakers if they are available. Please make sure you are buying them from legitimate sellers so you are getting the real thing.