*In 2016, Kobe Bryant retired with more than $320 million in career earnings, making him one of the highest-paid players in the history of the NBA.
The endorsements he garnered towards the end of his career brought him $25-30 million a year. According to Insider, his estate continues to rake in millions from these deals and investments.
The late NBA star is back on the cover of 2K’s NBA game, and Nike plans to relaunch Bryant’s shoe line.
Bryant will be featured on two separate 2K’s NBA game editions, the Kobe Bryant Edition and the Black Mamba Edition.
The Kobe Bryant Edition features the Lakers legend in his No. 8 jersey. The Black Mamba Edition sees Bryant in his No. 24 uniform. Both versions of the game will be available later this year.
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Sharing the Mamba Mentality with the next generation. Introducing our #NBA2K24 cover athlete, Kobe Bryant.
???? Kobe Bryant Edition
???? Black Mamba EditionPre-order your copy tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/afcqMh5qr8
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 6, 2023
“As we celebrate 25 years of NBA 2K with Kobe Bryant, we commemorate his legacy and the generational impact he has had on the game of basketball,” Greg Thomas, the president of Visual Concepts, which developed the game, said in a statement to ESPN. “While we mark the history of the franchise, NBA 2K24 also looks ahead to the future to bring an innovative leap in technology and the introduction of community-requested features like crossplay.”
Meanwhile, as Insider reports, Bryant’s family made $400 million from their investment in Body Armor.
Bryant invested $6 million in the sports drink in 2013, and Coke paid $5.6 billion for it in 2021. In 2014, he explained his interest in the brand in an ESPN interview.
“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?”
Bryant then wrote out a mission statement and began implementing his vision.
“We want to own and help grow brands and ideas that challenge and redefine the sports industry while inspiring,” Bryant said. “If it doesn’t have the limbs of the sports industry, which I understand extremely well, then I probably won’t touch it.”
READ MORE: Kobe Bryant: The Life Story You May Not Know | VIDEO
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