Kobe Bryant may have been one of the best athletes in the world, but he was also one of the financially smartest. By the time he was approaching retirement in the NBA, he had already set himself up for success through his investments. Of them, his greatest bet was the $6 million he invested in Body Armor, something that netted him an incredible revenue. Taking inspiration from all the financial legwork Kobe did, James Harden now seeks to do something very similar.
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With all the years in the league he spent around colleagues and business heads, a shrewd Kobe Bryant learned the importance of planning his future. In 2014, his masterstroke investment of six million dollars in Body Armor has netted his family over $400 million. The energy drink, after being acquired by Coca-Cola, has seen its sales and brand value rise exponentially, especially in the last few years.
James Harden praises Kobe Bryant for his investment
James Harden recently sat down with the ‘Boardroom‘ to discuss the launch of his wine business, something he promoted during his time in China as well. However, where did James get the inspiration to invest in his own business?
According to him, it was none other than the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Kobe Bryant who showed him the blueprint for post-retirement planning. Here is what Harden said on the matter:
“I learned from Kobe. His transition was easy. Once he said he was done with basketball, he was done with basketball. This is what I am doing next because I’ve already been working on it and am already been planning for it. And that’s kind of the stage that I am on right now.”
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The six-million-dollar investment in Body Armor was not the only shrewd decision that Bryant took for the sake of his future. He was smart enough to partner with venture capitalist Jeff Stibel and start his own investment fund for $100,000,000 in 2016. The fund invested quite a bit of money in upcoming technology start-ups that had potential. The value of the fund has now grown to a whopping $2 billion.
James Harden, who is currently 33 years old, is following the Mamba’s footsteps, and the wine business is an important step towards realizing his goal. With less than five years left in his NBA career, the Philadelphia 76ers guard wants to secure his future post-retiring from the league.
Harden and Bryant’s China connection
Kobe Bryant and James Harden are both very well-respected in China. They have received much love from the fans in the country and continue to do so to this day, as was evident in Harden’s recent tour of the country. However, it must be noted that while ‘the Beard’ is big, Kobe Bryant was the biggest athlete in China during his prime, something that was spurred on by his incredible performance in the Beijing Olympics.
Kobe Bryant’s popularity in China with the Redeem Team 👀 pic.twitter.com/8AUCScd2wO
— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) October 8, 2022
James Harden has been a fan favorite in China since his days with the Houston Rockets. In fact, the Rockets seem to be the most beloved franchise in the country due to Yao Ming’s time there. And with the number of athletes coming in to inspire the youth, there may be a day the Rockets may have yet another Chinese superstar in the future.
