February 06, 2017
Police are investigating a burglary at Lower Merion High School after memorabilia linked to Kobe Bryant were stolen, according to school officials.
In a letter to the school community sent Monday, principal Sean Hughes and athletic director Don Walsh announced that several items of "sentimental importance" were removed from a display case celebrating the school's former basketball star who skipped college to go directly to the NBA.
The theft, which was captured on surveillance video, occurred Sunday night at the public school located in Montgomery County. No one was injured during the incident.
The missing items include Bryant's framed high school replica jersey, the 1996 PIAA Boys Basketball State Championship trophy, the net from that championship game, programs from state and district title games, a proclamation from the Pennsylvania House honoring the team and several pairs of signed Nike sneakers.
"Material items can be replaced and we will make every effort to restore and even enhance the contents of the case with the help of alumni and friends," Hughes and Walsh wrote. "And even if we cannot replace all the items, the moments that produced them are still very much alive in our memories and honored through the ongoing traditions of Aces Nation."
The Lower Merion Police Department is reviewing security footage from the school. Anyone with information is urged to contact police at (610) 649-1000.
After graduating from high school, Bryant was selected 13th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft. He spent 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, won five championships, earned an MVP award and was named to 18 All-Star teams.
The school renamed its home court the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium in 2010.
