Kobe Bryant, who had a sharp business acumen in addition to his greatness on the court, achieved one of his most successful ventures when he invested in BodyArmor sports drink. He made huge profits on it, and one of his long-time teammates, Robert Horry, recently explained why he should’ve gotten a slice of the pie.
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Bryant put in just $6 million in BodyArmor when it was a startup, and he ended up with a profit of $400 million. Horry, who shared the stage with Bryant during all three of the Lakers‘ early 2000s NBA championship victories, feels he may have been the one who introduced the brand to the Mamba in the first place.
Of course, it’s not something Horry can prove, and he doesn’t claim to be completely sure either. Still, the events leading up to it seem to add up.
During one Lakers game, Horry noticed that Bryant was not his usual self. He seemed more fatigued, more gassed than he usually is at that point of a game. “I go over to him at halftime and I said, ‘You look tired.’ He said, ‘Yeah I’m tired.’ I said, ‘You drinking Red Bull?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah I drank one before the game.’ ‘You can’t drink that sh** man.'”
Bryant was apparently very surprised by this information. “You crashed. It’s gonna have you amped, then you gonna crash,” explained Horry, who suggested that Bryant drink it at halftime but never before a game. He himself had a similar experience with the famed energy drink so he knew what he was talking about.
Moments later, Horry wondered if that conversation is why Bryant eventually decided to look into BodyArmor as a better sports beverage for energy.
“That’s one of those inside stories that nobody will ever know. I wonder if that’s why he started Body Armor? He probably should have gave me some stock in that man!” he joked.
Big Shot Rob was clearly kidding, but honestly, him giving Bryant that information was super clutch. The Mamba would have eventually figured out that it was the Red Bull tiring him out, but sometimes information like that hits harder when it comes from a friend or a teammate rather than someone who might make you feel bad for not knowing it.
You can tell that Horry had deep respect for Bryant, not just as a player but as a man. “He was always trying to get better, man. We just loved playing with him and getting to know him as a person.”
What started as a quick halftime chat about energy drinks might have planted the seed for one of his biggest business wins ever.
It’s wild to think that a small tip from a friend could connect to a $400 million success story down the line. But that’s Bryant for you. He was always learning, always evolving, and always finding a way to turn even the smallest moment into motivation.
