Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was known as one of basketball’s most disciplined athletes. With a relentless drive to improve and perfect his craft, Bryant adhered to a very strict routine. While impressive and often inspiring, this wasn’t always the case.
Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry recently revealed that Kobe Bryant had an unhealthy habit early in his career on “Byron Scott’s Fast Break” podcast. Given that it had a negative impact on him, Horry also revealed how it spearheaded a lucrative investment later in Bryant’s career.
“This is one of those insider stories that nobody would ever know,” Horry said. “We were playing Indiana in the Finals. We were playing, and I was looking at Kobe. I’m big on body language. I watch and I study people’s body language… and I looked at Kobe, and I was like, ‘Something ain’t right.'”
Horry said he approached Bryant at halftime. When Bryant admitted he was tired, Horry immediately knew that the superstar was drinking Red Bull.
“Can’t drink that s***, man. He’s like, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because you crash.’ It’s going to have you amp and then you’re going to crash,” Horry recalled. “So, I don’t think he ever remembers that story, but I remember. The reason I remember it because when Red Bull first came out, I was drinking it. And by halftime, I crash, like, you can’t do that.”
Horry also added that Bryant changed his approach towards consuming Red Bull. But more interestingly, Horry’s advice apparently paid off big for the Lakers superstar.
In 2013, three years before his retirement, Bryant invested $6 million in a sports drink startup named BodyArmor.
BodyArmor marketed itself as a healthier alternative to other sports beverages. It primarily features high levels of potassium, natural flavors, added vitamins, and a coconut water base. The lower volumes of sodium and the lack of artificial dyes and sweeteners compared to competing brands made it a cleaner option for athletes.
Kobe Bryant’s refined approach towards nutrition aligned with BodyArmor’s mission. By acquiring a 10% stake in the company, the Lakers legend set off in a new direction, as he even wrote and directed some of the brand’s promotional campaigns, featuring the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and James Harden.
Bryant’s influence on the brand’s success was telling, as BodyArmor grew rapidly. In 2018, the brand saw Coca-Cola take a 15% stake in the company, accelerating its growth. By 2021, the beverage giant had acquired full ownership of the brand for an estimated amount of $5.6 billion.
So what did this mean for Kobe Bryant? For his 10% stake, the Lakers superstar turned his initial investment of $6 million into $400 million, a significant return.
Overall, Horry’s halftime advice had an increasingly positive impact on Kobe Bryant’s approach, as it laid the foundation for one of the most successful sports-business investments in the modern era. Unfortunately, this yielded very little in terms of monetary gain for the seven-time champion.
