What was Kobe Bryant's net worth?
Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player, producer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. At the time of his death, Kobe Bryant had a net worth of $600 million. Tragically, Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash. Kobe Bryant was an 18-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time NBA Champion, and a 2-time NBA Finals MVP.
Kobe was one of the highest-paid athletes in sports, even in retirement. He earned hundreds of millions of dollars from salary and endorsements during his lifetime. He made extremely wise business investments. At the time of his death, his equity stake in the drink BodyArmour was worth $200 million. He paid $6 million for the stake just six years earlier. In October 2021, Coca-Cola paid $5.6 billion to acquire 100% ownership of BodyArmour.
What Would Kobe Bryant's Net Worth Be Today?
As stated earlier, at the time of his death, Kobe Bryant's net worth was $600 million, which included $200 million from his BodyArmour investment.
By the time Coca-Cola acquired 100% of BodyArmour at an $8 billion valuation in October 2021, the Bryant estate's equity had been reduced to 5%. So, his estate grossed $400 million pre-tax from this transaction. After taxes, that worked out to around $270 million. If Kobe had been alive at the time of this deal, his net worth would have increased to $670 million. Factoring in other deals and transactions, it's safe to assume that in a different reality, Kobe Bryant would have started 2022 with a net worth of $700 million.
Early Life
Kobe Bryant was born on August 23rd, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Joe Bryant, was a former player for the Philadelphia 76ers. Kobe's name was inspired by the famous beef from Kobe, Japan. When Kobe was six, Joe retired from the NBA and moved the family to Italy, where he continued playing in a European league. Kobe learned to speak Italian fluently. During summers, Kobe would return to the US to participate in basketball summer leagues. After Joe retired from playing, the family moved back to Philadelphia, where Kobe attended Lower Merion High School.
Kobe excelled at basketball in high school, leading his team to their first state championship in 53 years. He was named Gatorade's Men's National Basketball Player of the Year and USA Today's All-USA first-team player. His SAT score was high enough to secure admission to many colleges with a scholarship, but Kobe opted to go straight to the pros, becoming the youngest player in history to be drafted into the NBA.
NBA
Kobe was initially drafted by the Hornets but was instantly traded to the Lakers in a prearranged deal. Because he was 17, Kobe's parents had to cosign his rookie contract. His first NBA contract was a three-year $3.5 million deal.
At 18, Kobe became the youngest starter in NBA history. It wasn't until his third year with the Lakers that he truly hit his stride. He started every game and was starting to be compared to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
In his third year, he also got a $70 million, 6-year contract extension. In 1999, Phil Jackson became coach of the Lakers. Together, Jackson, Kobe, and the Lakers won the NBA championship five times, including three consecutive years from 2000-2002.
Kobe Bryant Salary And Career Earnings
During his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant earned just over $328 million in salary alone. Other notable NBA contracts included a three-year $90 million extension signed in 2010 and a 2-year $48.5 million extension signed in 2013. In his final NBA year, Kobe earned $25 million in salary.
Kobe earned approximately $350 million from endorsements throughout his lifetime, bringing his total career earnings to $680 million.
His most notable endorsements included Nike, Sprite, McDonald's, Turkish Airlines, Lenovo, Hublot, and Panini. Kobe's popularity in China enabled him to sign lucrative Chinese-specific endorsement deals with companies, including Alibaba, Sina.com, and Mercedes Benz.
Initially, he was signed to Adidas for the first years of his career. His Adidas contract, signed before the 1996 season, was worth $48 million over six years.
Many of Kobe's endorsement deals were canceled in the wake of his sexual assault allegations in 2003, except Nike. Nike signed him to a 4-year deal paying $10 million per year, although they did not use Kobe in sponsorships for two years.
Eventually, endorsement deals returned in full force.
BodyArmour Investment
In March 2014, Kobe purchased a 10% equity stake in the sports drink BodyArmour for $6 million.
In August 2018, Coca-Cola purchased a 15% stake in BodyArmour, valuing the company at $2 billion. This meant Kobe's $6 million investment was worth $200 million on paper, before taxes. Coca-Cola eventually earned an additional 15% equity stake after taking over bottling and distribution.
In October 2021, Coca-Cola bought the remaining 70% of BodyArmour for $5.6 billion, valuing the brand at $8 billion. At the time of acquisition, Kobe's stake had been reduced to 5%, so his estate earned a $400 million windfall from the transaction.
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Outside of the NBA
Kobe won gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
In 2018, Kobe won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his film "Dear Basketball."
Bryant Stibel
In August 2016, Kobe and business partner Jeff Stibel launched a venture capital company called Bryant-Stibel with $100 million in funding. The fund was set up to invest in technology, media, and data companies. Jeff and Kobe invested in dozens of companies, including sports media website The Players Tribune, LegalZoom, Juicero, and video game designer Scopely. In 2019, the partners revealed on CNBC that they had grown their venture capital fund to $2 billion.
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Personal Life
In November 1999, Kobe married the then 17-year-old Vanessa Laine. They met while she was working as a background dancer in a music video where Kobe was working on his debut music album. They were engaged within six months of their first meeting, and she was still a senior in high school.
Kobe and Vanessa married on April 18, 2001, in Dana Point, California. Bryant's parents did not attend the marriage because they reportedly did not approve of the relationship.
They welcomed their first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, on January 19th, 2003, and their second child, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, on May 1st, 2006. They eventually had four daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri.
On December 16th, 2011, Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce after 10.5 years of marriage. The couple had no prenup, and Vanessa's divorce settlement could have cost him $100-150 million. They eventually reconciled.
In February 2020, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver renamed the All-Star Game MVP Trophy as the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award to honor Kobe's legacy.
Death
In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020, at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash. Eight other people died in the crash, including Kobe's 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
