Have you ever wondered what the net worth of Kobe Bryant was?
Well, after 20 incredible years with the Los Angeles Lakers, the man has made quite the name for himself.
Many people only know Kobe as a basketball player. But what few know is that he leveraged his NBA salary and endorsements to grow his net worth even further.
In fact, at the time of his death, Kobe Bryant had a net worth of $600 million.
In this post, we show you how he made his millions.
Early Life
Kobe Bryant was born on August 23rd, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He resided in Philly because, at the time, his father Joe Bryant was a player on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kobe was actually named after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan his parents saw in a restaurant menu in Philadelphia.
Interestingly enough, Kobe and his family moved to Italy when he was only six.
This was because his father had retired from the NBA and continued to play overseas. Here, Kobe learned how to speak Italian fluently.
Outside of this, he continued to work on his craft, never stopping basketball. As a matter of fact, every summer he attended American basketball camps.
When Joe Bryant finally retired for good, Kobe and his family returned to Philadelphia.
Here, Kobe attended Lower Merion High School where he really started to make a name for himself.
In his high school career, Kobe decimated the competition. He brought his high school their first championship in 53 years.
Soon, he was named Gatorade’s Men’s National Player of the Year. Additionally, he was named USA Today’s All-Team first player.
With this many accolades, it was a no-brainer Kobe decided to go straight into the NBA and skip college. As a matter of fact, he was the first player ever to do so.
Basketball Career
Kobe first got drafted to the Charlotte Hornets but was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Because he was only 17 at the time, Kobe’s parents co-signed his first three-year $3.5 million deal. Kobe quickly proved his merit.
He was selected for the NBA-All-Star game in just his second season, becoming the youngest all-star ever.
On his team, however, Bryant was forced to share the star player role with Shaquille O’Neal.
While the two bumped heads, head coach Phil Jackson made it work and lead the team to several championships.
In fact, the Lakers won three consecutive championships by the time Kobe was just 23.
The reign eventually came to an end in 2004 when the Detroit Pistons upset the Lakers in the NBA finals.
Shortly after, Shaquille O’Neal was traded. This left Kobe as the sole leader of the Lakers. He now had an entire franchise to carry on his back.
For several years Kobe persisted in his grind and would outperform the league in scoring despite not seeing the playoff finals.
In 2009, this all changed with what would soon be the legendary Lakers-Celtics rivalry.
In an intense series of championship years, Kobe was able to lead the Lakers to championship victories in 2009 and 2010.
Outside of the NBA, Kobe Bryant also happened to accomplish a number of accolades in the Olympics.
He was a member of the gold medal-winning USA basketball teams that won both the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Net Worth Outside of the NBA
Kobe earned an incredible $350 million in endorsements throughout his career.
Some of the most notable endorsements include Nike, Sprite, McDonald’s, Turkish Airlines, Lenovo, and so much more.
As a matter of fact, Kobe was loved in China so much that he was able to sign deals with companies like Alibaba, Sina, and Mercedes Benz.
In March 2014, Kobe purchased a 10% equity stake in Body Armour for roughly $6 million.
Later in August 2018, Coca-Cola also purchased a stake in Body Armour after valuing the company at $2 billion. This means Kobe’s investment was now worth $200 million!
Additionally, Kobe Bryant narrated an Academy Award-winning animated film titled, “Dear Basketball,” in 2017.
One year later, he released “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” a self-written book where he talks about his legendary approach to basketball.
Kobe’s Venture Capital Firm
In August 2016, Kobe made a business initiative not many were expecting. He and his business partner, Jeff Stibel, launched a venture capital company called Bryant-Stibel.
This venture capital firm had $100 million in funding. Their main mission was to invest in technology, media, and data companies.
Throughout the years, Kobe and his partner invested in several companies including Ring DNA, LegalZoom, Dell Technologies, and videogame designer Scopely.
Today, Bryant-Stibel has over $2 billion in assets under management. This is an incredible twenty-fold increase from their initial funding of $100 million.
Kobe Bryant Net Worth 2022
At the time of his death, Kobe Bryant’s net worth stood at roughly $600 million.
This includes earnings from his NBA salary, endorsement deals, liquidated investments, and media rights to his film and book releases.
While this is truly an incredible feat, there is no doubt that Kobe would’ve accomplished much more had he still been here today.
Before his passing, Kobe Bryant was very philanthropic donating millions of dollars to organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Stand-Up to Cancer.
Key Takeaways
Now that you know what the net worth of Kobe Bryant is, let’s take a look at some of the most important lessons we can take from his journey.
Pain is Temporary
If there were an epitome of hard work and dedication, it would be Kobe Bryant.
Kobe strived on the idea that pain is temporary and by pushing through this, we can grow much stronger and more successful.
If you’re struggling through the hardships of entrepreneurship, don’t give up. Build resilience, keep your head down, and accomplish your dreams.
Invest Early
Time is always on your side with investments. Kobe understood this and began investing well into the second half of his career.
Within the same decade, Kobe was able to see incredible returns, bolstering his net worth.
If you’re young, invest now, and invest in what you understand. We should always strive to make decisions our future selves will thank us for.
Always Strive to Be Your Best
There was never a day Kobe took lighter than the previous.
He always strived to improve and better his game, a mentality many of us can learn from and adapt to our own lifestyles.
