Kobe Bryant Meets Chinese Fan Who Returned Lower Merion Jersey

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — The story of Kobe Bryant's stolen Lower Merion Aces jersey keeps getting better, as ESPN reports the NBA legend met with the Chinese native superfan who came upon the stolen piece of history.

According to ESPN, Bryant recently met with Liu Zhe, 28, of Harbin, China, who realized he had the stolen jersey.

Zhe, who bought it in October 2018 for about $2,000, noticed the jersey resembled the same jersey that was stolen from outside the Bryan Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School, Bryant's alma mater.

Zhe connected with Lower Merion School District officials through Instagram and subsequently sent the jersey back to the school.

After returning the jersey, Bryant connected with Zhe while in China to promote the draw for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup to show his gratitude for his generosity with a face-to-face meeting, ESPN reports.

At the meeting, Bryant thanked Zhe for returning the jersey and signed a poster-sized photo of the two taken in 2018. Bryant signed it "Do epic things!" according to ESPN.

Bryant autographed a poster-size photo of him and Liu, taken when Liu was a participant at Bryant's basketball camp in Los Angeles in 2018. He included the inscription, "Do epic things!"

"The Lower Merion School District is appreciative that the fan in China did the right thing and returned the Kobe Bryant jersey to Lower Merion High School," the district said. "We remain hopeful that the other stolen items will be returned as well and appreciate the continued work of the Lower Merion Township police to recover the items."

The memorabilia was stolen in early February 2017 by two men who broke into the high school.

Taken was Bryant's framed high school jersey, the 1996 PIAA Boys Basketball State Championship trophy and net, and several pairs of Nike sneakers signed by Bryant.

Police in Lower Merion yet to identify the theft suspects and are still investigating the incident, as the rest of the memorabilia remains missing.

One suspect was wearing a dark winter hat, black or blue jacket with a scarf, dark pants, and dark shoes with white trim. The suspect was also wearing blue latex gloves and concealed their face with a multi-colored scarf.

The other suspect was wearing gray sweatpants with "Jordan" on the left leg, a dark hooded jacket or sweatshirt, a Brooklyn Nets hat with a pompom on top and gray New Balance sneakers. The suspect was also wearing gloves and concealed their face.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspects or information on the crime is asked to contact Lower Merion Police at (610) 645-1000.