- Kobe Bryant won five NBA championships during his basketball career
- In 2014, the basketball star created Kobe Inc. and invested in the sports drink company BodyArmor
- Kobe invested $6 million, which turned into $400 million
Kobe Bryant was one of the best basketball players ever to step foot in the NBA. From winning five NBA titles to scoring 81 points in a game, there’s no denying his greatness.
The basketball court wasn’t Kobe’s only platform for greatness. No, he was also great in other facets of life, including storytelling, as the fact he won an Oscar for his short animated film, Dear Basketball.
Kobe was also one of the greatest former sports stars turned businessmen. The Black Mamba created a brand that has continued to thrive, even after his tragic passing in January 2020.
One of Kobe’s best investments occurred in 2014 when he put his trust in a small sports drink company that planned to rival the powerhouse Gatorade.
Kobe’s BodyArmor Investment
BodyArmor was created by businessman Mike Repole in 2011. Repole was also the co-founder of Glaceau, the company that makes the sports drink Vitaminwater.
Repole wanted BodyArmor to challenge Gatorade, which was the top sports drink of the time. Gatorade was tough to compete with, especially since it had big endorsements from top athletes like Michael Jordan.
So, while BodyArmor was starting to make a name for itself, a basketball player, often compared to Jordan, took interest in it. Yes, Kobe was intrigued by BodyArmor, but he wasn’t looking to be a spokesman for the company. No, he wanted part of the company.
Kobe invested $6 million in BodyArmor back in 2014 for a 10% stake in the company. In 2018, BodyArmor was sold to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion. This earned Kobe $400 million.
As mentioned, Kobe wasn’t just a great basketball player but a great businessman, as well. He saw the potential in this small sports drink company, and he went all in on a powerful slam dunk.
The one problem with the Kobe and BodyArmor partnership was, like driving down the lane for a slam dunk, someone was waiting to swat it away. Kobe started Kobe Inc. back in 2014 which was an investment company.
This was a huge achievement for Kobe, as he wanted to secure his future while following in the steps of other great NBA players.
“I have always had ideas and always had a vision of where I wanted to go going back to 2000, but they are just ideas,” Bryant said. “Now, once the Achilles injury took place, I’m sitting at home for months not moving, a couple things set in. One is that there is only so many Modern Family episodes a person can watch. And then two, what do I do now?”
Kobe Inc.’s first investment was BodyArmor, and appointment as president of Kobe Inc. was a businesswoman named Molly Carter. After the sale of BodyArmor to Coca-Cola, Carter alleged that she was promised 2% of Kobe’s earnings.
This, Kobe disagreed with, as he claimed he never promised Carter a percentage of any deal. Carter ended up suing Kobe, and six months into the suit, Kobe tragically passed away.
The suit continued even with Kobe not here and was ultimately settled in June 2023 when Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, was awarded $1.5 million in attorney’s fees
“If it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant’s vision and belief, BodyArmor would not have been able to achieve the success we had,” BodyArmor Co-founder Mike Repole said. “I couldn’t be more excited to become part of the Coca-Cola family and set our sights on the future.”
Kobe Bryant was truly a visionary who, when he wanted something bad enough, did anything he could to get it. The tragic passing of Kobe in 2020 has left a big hole in the entire world, especially the business and sports world.
Kobe had big plans to continue to grow his brand through business deals, entertainment projects, and sports projects. Today, Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, has kept her husband’s dream alive, and it is exciting to see what the next project will be for Kobe Inc.
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