Shouting Out His $6,000,000 Investment, Kobe Bryant Blamed ‘Passing Too Much’ on Injuring His Rotator Cuff in 2015

Kobe Bryant had one of the most distinguished careers in the modern NBA, but the Black Mamba also sustained numerous injuries. Among them, a torn rotator cuff in 2015 caused Bryant to hang up his boots merely a year later. After he had sustained the injury on his right shoulder, Kobe hilariously blamed “passing too much” as the reason for the injury in a Twitter post. In the same tweet, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar also found a way to promote the brand in which he had initially invested $6,000,000.

Apart from being a smart decision-maker on the hardwood, Kobe Bryant was also an intelligent businessman. Before his tragic demise in 2020, the 6ft 6” shooting guard built up a $600,000,000 fortune for himself. He did so by making the right investments. Back in 2014, Bryant made his best business venture by investing $6 million in BodyArmor. After the brand was sold to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion, Bryant’s initial investment’s value skyrocketed to $400 million.

Kobe Bryant promoted BodyArmor after suffering a torn rotator cuff

During the second half of the Lakers-New Orleans Pelicans contest from 23^rd January 2015, Kobe Bryant aggravated the shoulder pain he had been dealing with since preseason. After attempting a two-handed dunk, Bryant’s shoulders “didn’t feel too good”. MRI exam revealed that the midrange maestro had sustained a horrific rotator cuff tear in his right shoulder.

Apart from addressing his injury during the postgame press conference, the Mamba also sent out a hilarious tweet. The 19-year veteran blamed “passing too much” (he only had 2 assists) as the reason behind his injury. Kobe also used the same tweet to promote BodyArmor.

“This is what happens when I pass too much! #ShoulderShock thank u all for ur thoughts and prayers #team,” wrote the Mamba.

The clash against the Anthony Davis-led New Orleans was the final outing for Kobe that year as he was ruled out for the remainder of the season. In that campaign, Bryant ended up missing 47 games. This shoulder injury of his was much more severe than anybody could expect. Ultimately, Bryant decided to retire from professional basketball the next year. And this particular torn rotator cuff played a huge role in making the tough decision to do so.

The torn rotator cuff game was Ja Morant’s favorite Kobe moment

Even though Kobe hurt his right shoulder, he checked right back in to close out the game. Bryant was visibly in pain but that didn’t stop him from helping the Purple & Gold snap a five-game losing streak.

Had it been any other player, they probably wouldn’t have returned to the hardwood. But displaying his Mamba Mentality, Kobe influenced many youngsters by courageously taking to the floor. Ja Morant was among the many who were left amazed after Bryant checked back in the game. During an interview in 2022, Morant named this incident as his favorite Kobe moment.