Kobe Bryant was one of the highest-paid athletes during his time – he believed he was underpaid.
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Kobe Bryant won 3 champions on the trot, all while earning lesser than what Marvin Bagley III makes today in a year. That is sacrilegious, given how disproportionate the wages are now. Kobe would be a 500 million man in today’s market, minimum. His initial years saw him lose out a lot of cash, but the market was not as liberal as it is today.
In the 90s and early 2000s, salaries were not high, and even Shaquille O’Neal got paid 100+ million over a long period. In today’s market, we don’t see any long-term contracts like before. Even Kobe signed one long-term contract, which reduced his chances to make money when the market boomed. He also retired exactly around the time money was a mockery, right around 2016.
What Kobe was not given in money, he was given in kind. The number of endorsements, stock options in companies, and the opportunity to be an investor in different portfolios came from him being a legend on the court – he was paid handsomely for his work. Not everything was about money though, it was about knowing what he was worth.
He always told his younger counterparts to never accept a deal that undervalued them – which is a valuable life lesson. NBA is a business now, and nobody should shy away from making their worth.
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Kobe Bryant did not have to worry about money – his estate is worth twice what he made during his playing days
Unlike most athletes, Kobe knew he had to invest his money wisely to make sure his family didn’t suffer. And that he did, investing everywhere. His deal with Nike may be on tenterhooks, but his other deals will keep the generational wealth safe. The estate will be like Scrooge McDuck’s, comfortably maintaining their lifestyle.
Body Armour, Nike, and many other investments later, Kobe and his estate are worth about 650 million dollars today. While Vanessa Bryant would gladly trade all that money to get him back, life goes on. The Lakers legend is immortalized in every fan, knowing what he did, and what he meant. The Los Angeles Lakers we see today are built on the foundations he left, and Jeanie Buss should be doing everything to hold that up.
While he may have thought to be underpaid, Kobe Bryant built an unwavering brand. A name that is synonymous with LA, and a name that people associate with winning. No amount of money can get you that, be it millions or billions. Genghis Khan was a rich man, but there are no people who want to be him.
Also Read: After the great Kobe Bryant, is LeBron James next on the jersey retirement line for the Lakers?
