Kobe Bryant Making More Money NOW Than When He Was Alive

The legacy of Kobe Bryant lives on, long after he passed away suddenly in a helicopter crash back in January 2020. He retired in 2016 and even then, was one of the highest-paid players in NBA history, but that was hardly his only stream of income. The same stands today because even though the man isn't here, his name is a money maker.

Bryant retired in 2016 raking in more than $320 million in monies and his career on the court is ranked second-most of all time. That said, his stint with NBA was only one of the streams of his income. Other than making some savvy investments, Bryant made hundreds of millions via endorsements and deals. Bryant had endorsed more than 20 brands since he entered the NBA, including Nike, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, and Hublot, pulling in $25-30 million a year from these deals alone.

He put these earnings into many different businesses, like the sports drink BodyArmor as well as startups like Art of Sport and HouseCanary. He even had a $100 million venture-capital fund with partners like Jeff Stibel, Peyton Manning, and Steph Curry.

Bryant was also a publisher of young adult books and the first pro athlete to score an Academy Award, in 2018, for his animated short film "Dear Basketball". At just 41, Bryant had an estimated fortune of $600 million and a thriving post-NBA career. His fortune exceeded most athletes' but not Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods exceeded it.

More than three years since his untimely and shocking death, Bryant's earnings are growing more than ever.

For his wife, Vanessa Bryant though, he'll always be the best girl daddy ever.

Earlier in July, 2K Games debuted their new cover for the 25th-anniversary edition of their popular NBA videogame franchise, and it was none other than Kobe Bryant, a move that has earned them plenty of praise. Meanwhile, this means that they had to pay the Kobe Bryant estate to use his face.

That said, the big monies for the estate might be via Nike. At the time of his death, Bryant was planning to leave the show brand after his contract expired in 2010 and start a new line of "Mamba" shoes, based on his on-court nickname, "Black Mamba." After his death Vanessa Bryant let the deal expire but it seems Nike is back, partnering with Bryant's estate, announcing a relaunch of his signature shoes in August, with plans to grow the brand.

Bryant's Nikes are still a major deal for fans, as well as players across NBA, WNBA, and colleges. With a major relaunch planned, the payment deal is still under wraps but it could be way more than the $10 million Bryant received from Nike during his career.

Fans are lapping it up given that Bryant is a hero for many...

To add to Bryant's fortune, Coca-Cola bought the sports drink, BodyArmor. At the time in 2013, Bryant had only made a $6 million investment, and Coke ultimately paid around $5.6 billion to acquire it in 2021.

The world lost a star in 2020 but none more so than Bryant's family given that the helicopter crash also killed 13-year-old Gianna Maria-Onore. Vanessa Bryant lost both a husband and the child and no money in the world can ever make up for that loss. All she can do is gather her remaining children, Natalia Diamante, Bianka Bella, and Capri Kobe and carefully build up his legacy even bigger than he could. And that's what Vanessa Bryant is doing.