Kobe Bryant fans are really mad after they were placed on a waitlist for his memorial service

Kobe Bryant’s memorial service will take place Feb. 24 at the Staples Center

Published: Feb 19, 2020, 10:46 a.m. MST

Kobe Bryant’s memorial service will take place Feb. 24 at the Staples Center. Jennifer Hudson sings a tribute to former NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who were killed in a helicopter crash Jan. 26, before the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in Chicago. Nam Huh, Associated Press

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Thousands of Kobe Bryant fans expressed anger after they received an email Tuesday night informing them that they have been placed on a waitlist to attend his public memorial service at the Staples Center.

What happened?

Ticketmaster sent an email to thousands of fans titled “You’re on the waitlist” to attend Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant’s public memorial service, CBS Los Angeles reports.
The email said: “To ensure the best experience, we are only able to invite a small number of fans to participate in tomorrow’s ticket release. Should additional tickets become available, registrants will be randomly selected to move off the waitlist and will be notified by text message with information on how to search for tickets.”
Scores of people signed up to buy a ticket, which was only possible through registration, which I wrote about for the Deseret News.
Ticketmaster said the amount of people who signed up was higher than the number of tickets available.
A report suggested 90,000 people signed up for tickets, according to CBS Los Angeles.

A new statement from Ticketmaster:

Ticketmaster sent me the following statement: “There has been an outpouring of love and support from hundreds of thousands of fans around the world hoping to attend A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant on February 24th. This has naturally led to Verified Fan registrations far exceeding ticket supply. Those registered and verified have been randomly selected to receive confirmation codes for a chance to purchase tickets. All other fans received a waitlist notification and will be contacted should tickets become available. All proceeds will be donated directly to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, whose mission is to further Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s legacy in youth sports.”

How did fans react?

Did anyone get an access code to purchase Kobe memorial tickets ? Seems like everyone got waitlisted 😭
— daisy llamas. (@daisyduzit) February 19, 2020

I'm on the wait list... Feels like Willy Wonka and trying to find a golden ticket. This would be the ultimate golden ticket! #LakerNation #Kobe #Gigi ❤️ pic.twitter.com/IuJ0ypckhk
— JohnnyBlaze562🇲🇽 (@JuanPer06649435) February 19, 2020

Yup, I was waitlisted 🥺😩😔RT @CBSLA: WAITLIST DISAPPOINTMENT: Thousands of Kobe Bryant fans were disappointed to get the Ticketmaster email notifying them they had been placed on a waitlist for the NBA icon's public memorial. https://t.co/lONRL0pPZ8 pic.twitter.com/v2iFDupDwm
— Marlene Meraz (@Marlene_MerazLA) February 19, 2020

S/O to everyone who was given an opportunity to purchase tickets to @kobebryant memorial. Unfortunately I didn’t & now I’m on the waitlist. Can’t front about being mad/sad about this. Still might make the push back home though... 🙏🏽🏀🙏🏽🏀🙏🏽🏀🙏🏽🏀
— Graham (@Kurmit4) February 19, 2020

How much do Kobe Bryant memorial tickets cost?

As I wrote for the Deseret News, ticket prices currently range from $24.02 to $224. Both prices are references to Kobe Bryant’s jersey number (No. 24) and Gianna Bryant’s number (No. 2).

Some more details:

The celebration of life for Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant won’t be shown outside the Staples Center. There won’t be standing room outside of the event, either.
The event will be shown on local Los Angeles TV stations, though.

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