What was Kobe Bryant’s net worth when he died?
The answer is huge.
Read on to find out the fortune he left behind, including his career earnings and investments.
Kobe Bryant was a professional Basketball player who played in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 seasons.
Famous for his numerous achievements, Bryant was one of the top NBA stars whose rise to success and dominance in the NBA told a story about determination, grit, and rebound.
In his 20 seasons in the league, he led the Lakers to NBA Championship glory on five occasions, clinching the NBA Finals MVP on two occasions.
Bryant missed out on the NBA All-star game only on two occasions throughout his career.
After he departed from the NBA, he still proved to be an influential figure in the league.
Bryant also successfully established a business empire, which was rapidly expanding before his untimely demise.
In this tribute article to one of the Greatest Basketball Players of All-time, we will review the fortune left behind by Kobe Bryant — a loving husband, a model father, an excellent basketball player, and an ingenious businessman.
Kobe Bryant’s Net Worth Before his Tragic Death
Before his untimely death, Kobe Bryant’s net worth was a massive fortune valued at $600 million.
Bryant, who retired from the NBA in 2016, earned a considerable fortune in his 20-season long career in the NBA from salaries and Endorsement deals.
The value of his earnings during his glamorous basketball career was so much that at the time he called it quits on basketball, it ranked as the highest for a team athlete
Only three athletes, all from individual sports, namely, esteemed golfer Tiger Woods, undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather and legendary Formula 1 star Michael Schumacher, earned more than he ever made in his career, as at the time he retired.
He leveraged his solid financial state to increase further his wealth, which rose to $600 million in 2020.
From movie production, book authorship, and sports drinks to video games, Kobe Bryant was unstoppable, setting shop in almost every industry.
Thanks to his fame, publicity to the brands he established came naturally, which led to increased sales.
Kobe Bryant’s Career Earnings
Kobe Bryant began his career in 1996 after he was selected as the top pick of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, who signed him on a three-star long contract worth $3.5 million.
By the time he retired from the NBA about 20 years later, Bryant has earned a whopping $680 million from the combination of salaries and endorsements.
From the early years of his career, Bryant had known that he’d attain so much fame in the league, which will see him earn record sum in salaries.
This is evidenced by his vote in the 1999 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), limiting NBA players’ salaries.
Bryant, who had just seven starts to his name and was nothing more than a media-hyped talent, was one of five players who voted against the agreement.
In his entire career, Bryant earned $328,237,108 in salaries.
His salary peaked at $30,453,000 in the 2014 season.
As of 2020, only Kevin Garnett has made more money in paychecks than Kobe Bryant ever did in the NBA.
Endorsement deals with multiple brands increased his fortune significantly.
Bryant earned $354 million from his various endorsement deals with top brands such as Nike, Mercedes Benz, Hublot, Sony, Nintendo, Sprite, McDonald’s, and several more.
His deal with Nike is of particular interest.
Though he didn’t match Michael Jordan in market reach, Nike boasted of being Kobe Bryant’s biggest endorsement partner.
He signed a 10-year long deal which raked him $10 million annually.
His popularity in China extensively helped Nike sell more Kobe Bryant shoes and helped Bryant secure deals with Asian brands such as Alibaba.
