A Timeline of Kobe Bryant’s Life, Tragic Death and Legacy

It turned out that Michael had been carefully following the career of Kobe and had called to offer some advice. Eventually, Kobe and Michael Jackson met and the meeting changed Kobe's life. At the time, Kobe was under pressure from many people who accused him of showboating and being too serious on the court. The criticism was tearing him apart. However, Michael advised him to be himself and just do what he thought was right no matter what anyone else thought.

Those were the words Kobe needed to hear and they propelled him to greater heights. In that same season, Kobe Bryant got voted a starter for the 1998 All-Star Game. Since he was just 19 years old at the time, this vote made him the youngest All-Star in NBA history. In 2000, Kobe teamed up with his teammate, teammate Shaquille O'Neal to form one of the most deadly scoring duos in league history. The two of them eventually led the Lakers into winning the NBA championship that year. It was the Lakers' first championship win since 1988.

Kobe and O'Neal were virtually unstoppable, stunning basketball fans all around the country. They continued their exploits for the next two years winning three straight NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2004, O'Neal left the Lakers after being traded so Kobe became the center-focus of the Lakers.

As expected, Kobe continued his exploits, topping the scoring charts in both the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In fact, in January 2006, Kobe scored 81 points in a single march against the Toronto Raptors. This earned him the second-highest single-game mark in NBA history, cementing his status as one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history.

Kobe continued to rank among the top scorers, leading the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010; in 2009, the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic to win the championship and in 2010, they beat the Celtics to win it for the second year straight. In both years, Kobe was named the NBA Finals MVP in recognition of his dazzling skills.

The injuries and Kobe's retirement

Even though Kobe Bryant continued ranking among the very best basketball players, he began to suffer some injuries in the latter years and this limited his brilliance. In 2013, when he was about 34 years old, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon. He eventually recovered from this but then he suffered another season-ending injury to his knee in 2014.

Just as he was about to come back from that injury, Kobe suffered yet another serious injury to his shoulder in 2015 and this largely kept him out of play for that season. Eventually, he announced that he would retire after the 2015-16 season. At this time, Kobe had become one of the most beloved and admired basketball players in the USA and many fans didn't want to see him go.

When he eventually retired at the end of the season in 2016, Kobe was 38 years old and had played for 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. This made him the very first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons. Also, his four All-Star MVP Awards are the most in NBA history tied with Bob Pettit. He had cemented his status as an unforgettable legend of the sport.

Kobe Bryant also did exploits on the international scene. In 2008, he represented the USA at the Olympics and won a gold medal with the team. Also, in 2012, he won another gold medal as a member of the U.S. national team.

What Happened When Kobe Tried His Hands On Music

Kobe Bryant was not just interested in basketball, he also loved music and decided to give it a shot. However, unlike basketball, he did not achieve success in that area. While he was still in high school, Kobe joined a rap group called CHEIZAW. Sony Entertainment which wanted to capitalize on Kobe's NBA fame later signed the CHEIZAW group but had the aim of eliminating the other group members so as to promote only Kobe.

Eventually, Kobe began working on his debut album titled Visions with a scheduled release date of 2000. The first single from the album, 'K.O.B.E'' dropped in January 2000 but was not well received. Sony Entertainment finally forsook the plans for Kobe's album and the project was never launched even after Kobe co-founded a record label called Heads High Entertainment.

Kobe would later be featured in different songs by different artists. Some of the artists who featured him on their records include Destiny's Child and Jay Chou.

How Much Money Did Kobe Bryant Make?

There is not a doubt in the world that Kobe Bryant made quite a lot of money in his lifetime. As one of the most successful figures in basketball history, he raked in huge salaries and established businesses that made him a wealthy man. But how much was he really worth?

According to our sources, Kobe Bryant was worth an amazing $600 million at the time he died in 2020. He was billed to make even more money in the coming years before his tragic demise.

A breakdown of how he earned his net worth

So, how did Kobe Bryant make his $600 million net worth? Apparently, a large chunk of his net worth came from the salaries he received in his playing days. In fact, Forbes rated him one of the highest-paid sports stars in the world during his career. Our investigation showed that Kobe Bryant raked in a massive $328 million in just salary alone during his playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2016, in his final year in the NBA, Kobe is reported to have earned $25 million.

Kobe Bryant also made money from different endorsements deals. As one of the brightest shining lights in the NBA, endorsement deals naturally came his way. Some of his many endorsements deals were with Nike, Hublot, McDonald's, Sprite, Panini, Turkish Airlines, and Lenovo.

Also, Kobe was very popular in China during his lifetime and this huge popularity fetched him endorsements deals from different companies including Alibaba, Mercedes Benz, and Sina.com. Kobe Bryant also had investments with BodyArmor, the popular sports drink after he acquired more than 10% of the company for roughly $5 million in 2014. Nearly four years later in 2018, the value of his investments had shot up to about $200 million. Kobe is reported to have invested in dozens of other ventures.

At the time he retired in 2016, all the money he made from his mouthwatering salaries and huge endorsements amounted to about $680 million. At the time, this amount of money was more than any other team athlete in the history of sports had ever earned.

He loved to give to give back to society.

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