Kobe Bryant's legacy will live on forever. Other than being a GOAT, Kobe was also a financial wizard. He turned his impressive career earnings into a fortune worth $600 million, through shrewd investments and smart business deals.
He is also very active when it comes to charity and who doesn't know about the MAmba academy.
So, here is a look at how Kobe Earned and spent his fortune!
Kobe earned a staggering $323.5 million in salary during his illustrious playing career. The legend's first contract covered 3 years and paid $3.5 million. And then the franchise paid him $320 million spread out in the 17 seasons. Including endorsements, he earned $680 million in his playing career. More than any team athlete ever!
Kobe did buy fancy things from time to time. He owned some very fancy and expensive mansions. He and his wife, Vanessa Bryant, would often flip homes for profit as well. From a 2,300 sq. ft. Spanish villa to an 8,500 sq. ft. mansion in Orange County, he had it all.
Kobe was also an avid car collector with many valuable cars in his garage, some worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. A $329,000 Ferrar 458 Italia, a $70,000 Cadilac Escalade, a $100,000 Fisker-Karma plug-in Hybrid, a $400,000 Lamborghini Mercielago and a $400,00 Lamborghini Aventador, and many more.
Every big brand wanted to work with a superstar like Kobe. He had endorsement deals with McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Mercedez-Benz, Lenovo, Panini, Nintendo, Sony, and Nike. Kobe got paid $10 million by McDonald's to promote their burgers. He even graced the cover of the Nintendo 64 exclusive NBA game in 1998.
His first shoe deal was with Adidas in 1996 when he was just 17 years old. The deal was worth $48 million dollars over 6 years. But he had bigger plans. He paid $8 million to exit that deal in 2002 to sign with Nike instead. Here, he got a 4-year contract of $40 million. Even after his retirement, he got a five-year extended deal with the brand.
In 2013, Kobe founded Kobe Inc. that turned out to be one of the wisest decisions of his life. He formed it to invest in a sports-related business. Kobe was well on his way to reach billionaire status. His $5 million investment in Body Armor quickly grew to $200 million after Coca-Cola showed interest in it. And of course, there is Granity Studios that got him his first Oscar.
Kobe donated millions of dollars to charity in his lifetime. He raised $80 million for cancer research in 2012. He founded the Kobe and Vanessa family foundation in 2007 to improve the lives of young people and encourage them to stay active in sports.