Liu Zhe, a fan of Kobe Bryant who purchases the star’s memorabilia, recently bought one of Bryant’s jerseys that he realized was stolen, ESPN reported.
Liu was contacted by an online seller, and proceeded to purchase the jersey for what he said was around $2,000, according to ESPN. When Liu saw that the jersey bore a striking resemblance to one that was stolen back in 2007, he wanted to return it.
His original plan was to give it back to Bryant in person when the former NBA player came to China to announce the drawing of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He eventually got in contact with Lower Merion’s basketball team, Bryant’s alma mater, and mailed it back to the school instead.
Liu ended up giving back the jersey and asked for no money in return. He said he was inspired to do that because of a message Bryant had autographed onto a photo of the two, which was taken after a camp sponsored by Bryant in Los Angeles.
“He signed, ‘Dream big! Live epic! Mamba mentality,'” Liu told ESPN. “What I did was my ‘mamba mentality.'”
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