Basketball player and producer Kobe Bryant was both a philanthropist and an entrepreneur in the United States of America. Approximately $600 million was in his possession at the time of his death. Aboard a tragic accident on January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant lost his life while in a helicopter. Basketball legend Kobe Bryant was an 18-time NBA All-Star as well as a five-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP during his career.
Even after his retirement, Kobe was one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Through his salary and sponsorships, Kobe Bryant amassed hundreds of millions of dollars over his career. He made a number of exceptionally sound business decisions. Upon his death, the value of his stock holding in the sports drink BodyArmour was estimated to be $200 million. Six years previously, he had paid $6 million for his part in the company. BodyArmour was acquired by Coca-Cola in October 2021 for a total of $5.6 billion, representing 100 percent ownership.
Kobe Bryant Net Worth Today
The net worth of Kobe Bryant at the time of his death was $600 million. The pre-tax value of his investment in BodyArmour was included in this total.
The Bryant estate’s equity had been reduced to 5% by the time Coca-Cola acquired 100% of BodyArmour at a $8 billion price in October 2021. As a result of this deal, his estate was able to take in $400 million before taxes. Including the cost of taxes, that amounted to over $270 million dollars. This deal would have increased Kobe’s fortune from $600 million to $670 million if he were still alive at the time. Taking into account an increase in BodyArmor’s value of $200 million and a drop of around $130 million as a result of taxes, this may not appear like a significant increase. Kobe Bryant would have had a net worth of $700 million at the start of 2022 if previous trades and transactions had gone his way.
Kobe Bryant Early Life
Kobe Bryant was born on August 23rd, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to parents who were both teachers. His father, Joe Bryant, was a former player for the Philadelphia 76ers and is the grandfather of Kobe. It was on a menu at a restaurant that his parents noticed the famous steak of Kobe, Japan, and decided to name him after it. The family relocated to Italy when Kobe was six years old, and Joe continued playing in a European league while the kids were growing up there. Kobe has become fluent in the Italian language. During his pre-teen years, Kobe would travel to the United States to play in summer basketball leagues. The family relocated back to Philadelphia after Joe’s retirement from professional baseball. He attended Lower Merion High School.
Kobe was a standout basketball player in high school, helping his team win the state championship for the first time in 53 years. He was selected Gatorade’s Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year and a first-team All-American by USA Today after a short time on the court. However, even though his SAT score was good enough to get him into several institutions with a scholarship, Kobe decided to pursue a career in the NBA instead. Kobe Bryant is the youngest player in NBA history to be picked in the first round.
Kobe Bryant NBA
Kobe was originally picked by the Charlotte Hornets, but was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a pre-arranged trade. Kobe’s parents were had to cosign his rookie contract because he was only 17 at the time. His first NBA contract was a three-year, $3.5 million deal that paid him $3.5 million over three years.
Kobe Bryant became the NBA’s youngest starter when he turned 18 years old. However, it wasn’t until his third season with the Lakers that he really began to find his feet. He was starting every game and was beginning to be compared to players like as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, among others.
In addition, he received a contract extension for $70 million over six years during his third year. The Los Angeles Lakers hired Phil Jackson as their head coach in 1999. Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers would go on to win the NBA title five times in their careers. Including the three years 2000-2002 that were consecutive.
Kobe Bryant Salary and Career
While playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant earned a total of more than $328 million in salary alone during his NBA career. In addition to the three-year, $90 million extension agreed in 2010, there are several other famous NBA contracts. In 2013, he agreed to a two-year deal worth $48.5 million. In his final season in the NBA, Kobe Bryant earned a salary of $25 million.
While playing for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant earned around $350 million in sponsorships. As a result, his total career earnings have reached $680 million.
Nike, Sprite, McDonald’s, Turkish Airlines, Lenovo, Hublot, and Panini are just a few of the brands he has endorsed over the years. Taking advantage of Kobe’s fame in China, various firms, including Alibaba, Sina.com, and Mercedes Benz, offered him lucrative endorsement deals tailored specifically to the Chinese market.
For the first several years of his professional career, he was sponsored by Adidas. His Adidas contract, which he signed before the 1996 season, was for $48 million over six years and was signed before the 1996 season.
Many of Kobe’s endorsement deals were discontinued as a result of the sexual assault allegations against him that surfaced in 2003. One major exception was Nike, which signed him to a four-year deal in the same year that paid him $10 million per year on average. It’s worth noting that Nike did not employ Kobe in any sponsorship campaigns for the next two years.
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Kobe Bryant Personal Life
In November 1999, Kobe tied the knot with Vanessa Laine, who was then 17 years old. They met while she was working as a background dancer in a music video, and it was love at first sight. He was also in the studio at the same time, working on his first musical record, which was due out soon. Within six months of their first meeting, they had decided to get married. She was a senior in high school at the time.
It was on April 18, 2001, that Kobe and Vanessa exchanged wedding vows at Dana Point, California. Bryant’s parents were not present for the wedding, according to reports, because they did not approve of the relationship.
The Bryants welcomed their first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, on January 19, 2003, and their second child, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, on May 1, 2006. They have two children together. Overall, they had four daughters, all of whom survived into adulthood. Bianka and Capri are the names of their other two daughters.
Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce on December 16th, 2011, after 10.5 years of marriage with her husband. The couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, and Vanessa’s divorce settlement might have cost him between $100 and $150 million. They were able to come to terms ultimately.
Kobe Bryant Death
Kobe Bryan died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, at the age of 41, in what can only be described as a tragic turn of events. In addition to the pilot, eight other persons died in the disaster. Gianna, Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter, was also one of the victims of the attack.
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