Plenty of bling on o e fo Kobe’s fans

LOS ANGELES: Well-heeled fans will be able to remember Kobe Bryant in style after the five-time NBA champion plays his last game for the Los Angeles Lakers next week.

Anschutz Entertainment Group, which runs the Staples Centre arena and its merchandise, on Thursday unveiled a flock of limited-edition items, leading with a gold-encrusted cap that costs US$38,024 (RM148,753).

All of the items feature Bryant’s jersey number 24.

Some, such as snakeskin texture jerseys (US$424 (RM1,658)) give a nod to his “Black Mamba” nickname, his five titles or his record-setting 81-point game.

In synch with the Lakers’ “Showtime” tradition, the “24 Collection” offers plenty of bling.

The US$38,024 hat is made of lambskin and snakeskin – another “Black Mamba” reference, and contains 3.5 ounces of 18-karat gold in the shape of the number 24 on the cap’s front.

Only eight were made, and for those looking for something a little less pricey, there’s a purple diamond cashmere cap for US$24,008 (RM93,921).

Caps commemorating the still-astonishing 81-point game a decade ago feature Swarovski crystals and Bryant’s points per quarter on the side.

Some of the items in the collection – which also includes pins, coins and jackets – were going on sale through the Lakers’ online store on Thursday night, while others were to be made available at Bryant’s final game at the Staples Centre next Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.

The merchandise is licensed by the NBA and Bryant’s company, Kobe Inc. — AFP LONDON: Tyson Fury will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight titles in a re-match against Wladimir Klitschko in Manchester on July 9, the British boxer’s trainer and uncle Peter Fury announced.

Fury senior tweeted about the rematch. Hamburg-based Klitschko lost his WBA, International Boxing Federation (IBF), International Boxing Organisation (IBO) and WBO belts to Fury on points in Duesseldorf last November as the Ukrainian suffered his first defeat in more than a decade.

Fury, from Manchester, northern England, was stripped of the IBF belt for agreeing to face Klitschko in a rematch.

That decision paved the way for Charles Martin to win the vacant IBF title when Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov injured a knee during their bout in January.

The American will defend his title against Britain’s Anthony Joshua, an Olympic gold medallist in 2012, at London’s O2 Arena today. — AFP