Kobe Bryant memorial service: Tickets likely to cost $24.02, family yet to finalize list of speakers and performers
The plans for Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna's public memorial service that will be held at the Staples Center on February 24 are being finalized, and details will be unveiled later on February 14, reports suggest.
Sources close to those planning told TMZ that event organizers were working closely with Kobe's family to settle on a list of those who will be speaking at the service, as well as singers and entertainers who will be roped in to perform in his and Gianna's honor.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported that the memorial would be attended by friends, family, NBA officials, and players, as well as season ticket holders and local politicians, all of whom would be given access.
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, though there has not yet been an official word on how many tickets will be available, how fans can buy them, or how they will be priced.
TMZ is reporting that the seats that will be sold to the public will be priced in a manner that "reflects the memories of Kobe and Gigi," and won't be exorbitant to the point that it would leave a hole burning in their pockets.
One of the pricing options that is currently being discussed involves selling the upper bowl seats for $24.02, with the 24 representing Kobe's jersey number with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2 representing daughter Gianna's.
Sources said extra precautions were being taken in printing the tickets to ensure they can't be forged or duplicated, and that all net proceeds from the sale of these tickets will be forwarded to a charity selected by the family.
The news will certainly be met well by fans, who were likely expecting the prices to be akin to the ones for the Los Angeles Lakers' first game following Kobe's death.
For that game, 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.
Those without tickets to the memorial will not be allowed to get close to the avenue, keeping up with precedent set during the services for rapper Nipsey Hussle and Michael Jackson, both of which also took place at the Staples Center.
For those memorials, law enforcement had closed off the blocks surrounding the center to anyone who didn't have a ticket for security and traffic control, with similar measures expected to be implemented on February 24.
As such, those without tickets have been advised to stay home and watch the memorial on TV, where multiple channels will be broadcasting the event.