A Brief Look at Kobe Bryant's Biography

At birth, he was named Kobe Bean Bryant on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and is the only male child of his family, having two older sister: Sharia Washington and Shaya Bryant-Tabb. His parents are Joe and Pamela Cox Bryant.

Kobe was named after a special kind of beef prepared by the Japanese; Kobe and his father's nickname; JellyBean. He initially lived at his place of birth before relocating to Italy where he spent the better part of his formative years. It was also there, he learned the language and the culture of the Italians. Later in his life, his family relocated back to the United States of America where he also became accustomed to the ways of the Americans. So, he is bilingual- speaking both Italian and English language fluently.

Bean developed an interest in basketball when he was a kid. His father who was a skilled b-baller during his heydays impacted the knowledge of the games in him. So, by the time he was a scholar at Merion High School in Ardmore, he had gained more skills than his peers and was noted as one of the finest b-ballers in the school. Also, he bagged a lot of awards and achievements in the school.

Foregoing college, Kobe Bryant decided to go pro and joined the Charlotte Hornets, in 1996, NBA draft. Then, he became the first guard to make the NBA cut, straight out of high school. There are no records showing his commitments to the team, however, he opted out of the team and joined the Los Angeles Lakers. More so, as at that time, he was just 17 and had his parents sign his three-year rookie deal totaling $3.5 million. The b-baller has gone ahead to show his relevance with the Lakers leading them to a lot of wins and few losses. He has also renewed his contract with the team severally.

Net Worth

Kobe's first contract with the Lakers was when he was a teen, he first sealed a $3.5 million deal with the team and subsequently, renewed a $70 million contract extension with them. With time, he earned over $24 million dollars annually and calculating the years he has spent with the Lakers, he has pocketed over $300 million as his take-home annually.

Apart from his career as a b-baller, he has also added other perks to top his income. He is the brand face for organizations like Nike, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, and so many others. From records, his deals with these companies are estimated to be over $300 million.

Also, he has trodden the path of a business tycoon. He collaborated with Jeff Stibel - an entrepreneur to launch a venture-capital fund known as Bryant Stibel. The company deals solely with investments in data companies, the media, and most especially technology.

The b-baller has also stretched his hands to the world through his partnership with the charity organization, After-school All-Stars. He is the founder of Kobe Basketball Academy.

Away from his career line, Kobe Bryant once trod the path of a music artist, however, his first and only released single with his high school crew, Cheizaw failed to impress the crowd after it was played at an NBA event.

In of all these, it is no doubt that Kobe Bryant's net worth of $500 million is well deserving. He has worked hard all these years to have amassed such an enormous amount of money.

Kobe Bryant and Family

Kobe Bryant married his better half Vanessa Lain Bryant sometime in 2001. He met her while she was a high school student and within a pace of 6 months after they became a pair, the b-baller engaged her. They later tied the knots going against the will of their parents at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church California.

Their union is blessed with three adorable children, Natalia Diamante Bryant (born on 19 January 2003), Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant (born on 1 May 2006) and Bianka Bella Bryant  (born on December 5, 2016).

Conclusion

Having spent over 2 decades of his life playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, it is no doubt that the team has felt Kobe Bryant's impact as a shooting guard. He is one player noted for skilled articulated shots and speed. With the Lakers, he has won five NBA championships and has bagged other recognizable achievements. His net worth of over $500 million is proof that he has reached the stardom of his career. Kobe has also added other perks in his career field.