Kobe Bryant assets 2024 : Even his first contract made him a billionaire! Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player who had net worth of $ 600 million at the time of his death. Tragically, Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2024. Kobe Bryan was an 18-time NBA all-star, 5-time NBA champion and 2-time NBA final champion.
Early life
Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Joe Bryant, was a former Philadelphia 76ers player. His parents named him after the famous beef from Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a menu in a restaurant. When Kobe was six years old, Joe Bryant retired from the NBA and moved with the family to Italy, where he continued to play in a European league. Kobe learned to speak Italian fluently. In the summer, Kobe returned to the United States as a kindergarten child to take part in summer basketball leagues. When Joe retired from the game, the family moved back to Philadelphia, where he attended Lower Merion High School. In high school, Kobe excelled in basketball, where he led his team to the first national championship in 53 years. He was quickly named Gatorade’s Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year and the first team player in USA Today’s All USA. His SAT score was high enough to get him to many colleges on a scholarship, but Kobe decided to go straight to the professionals. Kobe is the youngest player in history to be drafted into the NBA.
His first contract made him a millionaire
Kobe was originally drafted by the Hornets, but was immediately sold to the Lakers under a previously agreed arrangement. Since he was 17 years old, Kobe’s parents had to sign his contract as a newcomer. His first NBA contract was a three-year, $ 3.5 million contract.
Kobe Bryant Salary and Career Earnings: During his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant alone earned just over $ 328 million in salary. Some notable contracts include a $ 90 million three-year extension signed in 2010. In 2013, he signed a $ 48.5 million 2-year extension. He also earned approximately $ 350 million from sponsorship contracts for a total of $ 680 million in NBA support revenue. In his last year in the NBA, Kobe earned $ 25 million. His main sponsors include Nike, Sprite, McDonald’s, Turkish Airlines Lenovo, Hublot and Panini. Due to its popularity in China, Kobe was able to conclude lucrative Chinese sponsorship contracts with companies such as Alibaba, Sina.com and Mercedes Benz.
Spursorings bring big sums for Kobe
In the early years of his career, he was signed to Adidas. His Adidas contract, signed before the 1996 season, was worth $ 48 million over six years. Many of Kobe’s advertising contracts were terminated after his sexual assault allegations in 2003. A notable exception was Nike, which signed him on a 4-year $ 10 million a year contract that same year. Interestingly, Nike didn’t use Kobe for sponsorship work for two years. The sponsorship contracts finally returned in full. BodyArmour investment: In March 2014, Kobe acquired a 10% stake in the BodyArmour sports drink for $ 6 million. In 2018, the company generated $ 400 million. In August 2018, Coca Cola acquired a stake in BodyArmor, which valued the company as a whole at $ 2 billion. That meant Kobe’s $ 6 million pre-tax paper investment was worth $ 200 million.
Terrible end!
In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Kobe Bryan died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2024 at the age of 41. Eight other people died in the crash. Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna was also among the victims.
