Kobe Bryant public memorial service tickets will be on first-come, first-serve basis and come at a price
Members of the public will be allowed to attend the public memorial service being held for basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna at the Staples Center on February 24, though there will only be limited slots available.
The memorial for Kobe and Gianna will be attended by friends, family, NBA officials, and NBA players, according to TMZ. Season ticket holders and local politicians will also receive access to the event.
Members of the public will be allowed entry as well and will be given the chance to buy tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, there has not yet been an official word on how many tickets will be available or how fans can buy them.
Fans can expect the tickets to leave a significant hole in their pockets considering how high the demand is — many expect the service to be the largest of its kind ever — and the fact that the Staples Center can hold just 20,000 people.
There are also recent trends to take into account. USA Today reported that for the Los Angeles Lakers' first game following Kobe's death, tickets were $780 for the cheapest and went as high as $6,534 on StubHub.
The situation was similarly dire on Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, and TickPick, where the cheapest tickets were $750, $828, and $895, respectively. At one point, the best available seats — courtside near the Lakers bench — were selling for $11,000.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that those without tickets will not be allowed to get close to the avenue. This would follow the precedent set during the memorial services for rapper Nipsey Hussle and Michael Jackson, both of which took place at the Staples Center.
For those events, police had closed off the blocks surrounding the center to anyone who didn't have a ticket for security and traffic control. Similar measures will be implemented for Kobe's service. The memorial will also not be broadcast on the screens outside Staples live.
As such, law enforcement officials are encouraging those without tickets to stay home and watch the memorial on TV, with it expected to be broadcast on multiple channels.
Several notable guests reportedly want to pay tribute to the basketballer and his daughter during the service, and his family is said to be currently working to decide who will be allowed to take the mic.
