Kobe Bryant selling Stanley Cup Final tickets for charity

By Mark Medina

May 31, 2012 12 AM PT

Out of nowhere, more and more of Los Angeles is suddenly paying attention to hockey. That’s what happens when the Kings can boast a 1-0 lead over the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final. The bandwagoners join the niche fan base and then act as if they’ve been on board every step of the way.

But there’s one prominent sports athlete who’d rather take a pass on the Stanley Cup Finals.

Kobe Bryant.

He’s selling two of his tickets to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 6, with the proceeds benefiting the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation’s Youth Homelessness Initiative. Fans can make donations with options ranging from $10, $25, $50, $75 and $100 and then be entered in a drawing to win the tickets. Fans are allowed to enter the drawing as many as 10 times before June 4 at noon PST.

Bryant has found other creative ways lately to raise money for his foundation. He plans to start an auction from June 4 to June 11 that will allow fans to bid on a chance to play him in the basketball-shooting game of H-O-R-S-E on July 2 in Santa Barbara. Bryant already raised $67,100 for his family foundation and homeless initiative by auctioning off his protective mask earlier this month.

Don’t get it twisted about Bryant showing apparent apathy about the Kings’ playoff run. He was featured on the “Kiss Cam” recently at a Kings playoff game. Bryant also filmed a brief spot in the video below that often appears on the Staples Center scoreboard. Bryant’s just savvy enough to know that he can tap into Los Angeles’ sudden affinity for hockey, something that was hardly present most of the year.