Magic Johnson emphasized the value of personal branding before it became a buzzword in the 21st Century. Johnson’s mentorship enabled many NBA players to build an impressive business empire. Shaquille O’Neal benefited from Magic’s suggestions, and the big man’s Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant also sought Johnson’s counsel to build a colossal business empire.
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Magic Johnson spoke with KCAL News’ lead sports anchor, Jim Hill recently, where he claimed that Bryant had built a solid foundation to dominate the business space.
He recalled how Kobe always saw him as an inspiration in terms of off-court success. The 5x champ also wanted to be an entrepreneurial powerhouse like Johnson and Michael Jordan.
Johnson predicted that Kobe would have been one of the most renowned names in the business world if he didn’t pass away in 2020. Johnson told Jim Hill,
“I think back to when Kobe talked to me about ‘I want to be like you and Michael Jordan, not only on court but in business’, and he was heading in that direction. I always wondered, Jim if he would have been one of the biggest businessmen in the world if he had been still here.”
Kobe unsurprisingly wanted to pick the brains of a fellow Lakers legend, who recently acquired the billionaire status. Bryant was also well on his way to become a billionaire before his untimely passing.
He was ranked #14 in Sportico’s 2024 list of highest-paid athletes of all time, with non-inflation-adjusted lifetime earnings of $755 million. The Hall-of-Fame guard was a keen investor, who had a ton of success with big-name brands.
A brief look at Kobe Bryant’s business ventures
In 2013, Bryant took a major step when he co-founded the venture capital firm Bryant Stibel with Jeff Stibel, the founder of Web.com. This capital firm played a major role in expanding the business horizons of the 2x Finals MVP.
In 2020, CNN reported that Bryant Stibel has assets in the range of $2 billion. One of their major investments was with Body Armor. In 2018, the firm made millions after Coca Cola acquired the sports drink company.
Apart from that, owing to Bryant’s strong ties with China, the venture firm also partnered with E-commerce giant Alibaba Group. This investment also brought immense returns since the company retailed various Kobe Bryant-related products.
Bryant Stibel had at least 10 successful business exits, which includes its investments in Dell and the aforementioned Alibaba Group. Before the formation of the venture firm, the Mamba had already built a significant sneaker empire with Nike.
He also partnered with McDonald’s, Nintendo, Sprite, and the Turkish Airlines.
