Kobe Bryant Biography: Net Worth, Salary, Family and Career Stats

Born on August 23, 1978, Kobe Bryant is a legendary basketball player of the Los Angeles Lakers. ​The NBA legend comes in fourth position in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. At the age of 41, Bryant left everyone shocked when he died in a tragic helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter on 26 January, 2020. You will read everything related to Kobe Bryant's basketball and personal life in this article.

Kobe Bryant Early Life

Philadelphia born Kobe started playing basketball at the age of 3, and the Lakers were his favorite team when he was growing up. Kobe began to play basketball seriously while living in Reggio Emilia, Italy, even his grandfather used to mail him videos of NBA games to study. Bryant also takes inspiration from animated European films about sports, from which Kobe learned more about basketball. From 1987 to 1989, his father played for Olimpia Basket Pistoia where he paired with former Detroit Pistons player Leon Douglas. Kobe worked at the games as a ball and mop boy and practiced shooting at halftime. The NBA player was no one trick pony, he also learned to play soccer, and his favorite soccer team was A.C. Milan. Furthermore, after playing soccer, Kobe in the summers returned to the United States to play in a basketball summer league.

Kobe Bryant Biography

Known as Black Mamba, during 2003 Kobe Bryant was one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet and arguably the best player the NBA had seen in a generation. Here are some details of Kobe Bryant -

Kobe Bryant Career

Kobe is also a 2X Olympic gold medalist with the USA, he won his first gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Furthermore, in the Olympics Bryant played a part in the "Redeem Team's" success, scoring 20 points and dishing out 6 assists in the gold medal match against Spain.

Kobe claimed the title of basketball's GOAT after winning his 2nd gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Bryant retired from international competition after the 2012 Olympics with an impressive 26-0 record with the US national team.

Kobe Bryant High School Career

Kobe Bryant had a spectacular high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. During his high school years, he broke the southeastern Pennsylvania scoring record set by Wilt Chamberlain. Kobe led his high school to their first state championship in 53 years. Bryant was named Philadelphia Player of the Year as a junior, Gatorade and Naismith High School Basketball Player of the Year in his senior season. ​

Kobe Bryant Professional Career

Kobe Bryant spent his whole NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers after being traded by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 only a month after the Hornets had drafted him. He won 5 NBA titles with the Lakers and was an 18X NBA All-Star. Bryant retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final NBA game. In December 2017, the Lakers hung banners retiring his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys in the Staples Center rafters in an unprecedented double honor. Here is the statistical overview of Kobe Bryant's Career according to ESPN -

Kobe Bryant Awards and Achievements

​From the time he entered the NBA at the age of eighteen, the awards have continued to pile up as he began to make his mark in the league. Let's take a look at Kobe Bryant's most noteworthy accomplishments:

Kobe Bryant Record

Since Kobe Bryant started playing professional basketball, he has made everyone a fan of him. Kobe Bryant has held and still holds numerous records in the NBA from a young age. Here is the list of his records:

Kobe Bryant Net Worth and Salary

Kobe Bryant's net worth at the time of his death in 2020 was estimated to be $600 million. During his basketball career, Bryant earned 8 million from the Los Angeles Lakers alone. Moreover, the NBA player also made money from endorsement deals with brands like Nike, McDonald's, and Mercedes-Benz. Starting 2013-2014, the Lakers player went on to become the second player to earn more than a million in a season. He retired from basketball in 2016 as the NBA's third all-time leading scorer.

Bryant invested million in Body Armor, a sports drink company, in exchange for a 10% equity stake. He and entrepreneur Jeff Stibel started a 0 million VC fund in 2016 called Bryant Stibel to invest in technology, media, and data companies. Bryant's estate is managed by his wife, Vanessa, who is also the beneficiary of the trust. The trust allows Vanessa to withdraw funds to support her family. From the five contracts he signed with the Lakers alone, Kobe pocketed over 8 million.

Kobe Bryant Wife

Kobe Bryant's wife's name is Vanessa Bryant. Vanessa was a model and a dancer before she met Kobe. The late NBA legend met his future wife when she was just 17 years old. At the time, Kobe was a starting player on the Los Angeles Lakers, while Vanessa was a high school senior from southern California. Their paths crossed coincidentally when Vanessa worked as an extra on a music video of Kobe’s, and a whirlwind romance ensued. The young couple were engaged within six months and married less than a year later, in April 2001.

Kobe and his daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of seven other individuals. In the years since the devastating deaths of her “soulmate” and her “baby girl,” Vanessa has pushed through the immense grief, loss and heartache to keep their memories and legacies alive.

Kobe Bryant Parents

Joseph Washington 'Jellybean' Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant are Kobe Bryant's parents. Pamela is the sister of former NBA player John 'Chubby' Cox III. Kobe Bryant's parents got married in 1975 and shared three children, Sharia, Shaya, and Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant's parents Joe and Pamela Bryant held American nationality.

His father was an American basketball player and coach who lastly played for the FC Mulhouse Basket, a French basketball club. From 1975 to 1991, Joseph Washington Bryant played for various teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Diego Clippers, and the Houston Rockets in the NBA, and many other teams. He started his coaching career for various teams, including the Los Angeles Sparks in 1992. On July 15, 2024, at the age of 69, Joe Bryant died as he suffered from a major stroke.

Kobe Bryant Kids

With his wife Vanessa Bryant, Kobe raised four daughters-Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri. Kobe and Vanessa welcomed their first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, on January 19, 2003. From her earliest days, Natalia was a fixture at her father's games, often seen courtside with her mother or sitting on Kobe's lap during interviews. Over the years, the family grew, with Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, lovingly known as ‘Gigi’, born in 2006, followed by Bianka Bella Bryant in 2016, and Capri Kobe Bryant in 2019. Kobe took immense pride in being a father to daughters. He once joked with friends who teased him for not having a son, saying, "It takes a king to make a princess."

On Jan 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California.

Kobe Bryant Shoes

The 17-year-old Kobe Bryant had come into the league as a member of the adidas footwear team. Adidas was quick to give Kobe Bryant a shoe contract. Adidas continues to release models which Bryant wore during historic moments early in his career. Although some of the shoes have been rebranded, there is no missing the retro hoop shoes when they are on the hardwood. Despite being over two decades old, the adidas shoes still appear as if they arrived from the distant future. He signed with Nike in 2003, and the two partners created arguably the most popular performance basketball shoe lines of all time.

Kobe Bryant Jersey

Kobe Bryant wore number 8 and number 24 jersey throughout his NBA career. Bryant wore the number 8 jersey for the first 10 seasons of his career (1996-2006). He switched to the number 24 jersey in the 2006-2007 season and wore it for the remainder of his career. According to ESPN, the reason behind selecting number 8 if his Adidas camp number, 143.

This number adds up to eight, and was also the number he wore in Italy when he was younger. Kobe's reason to skip to number 24 10 years, Bryant wanted a fresh start, so he began wearing No. 24, the number he'd worn as a freshman in high school. Moreover, the Lakers hung both jerseys from the Staples Center rafters in honour of the NBA GOAT.

How many Rings Does Kobe Bryant Have?

Kobe Bryant has won 5 rings in 20 seasons career in the NBA. He has led the Los Angeles Lakers to seven NBA Finals in his career. The famous Los Angeles Lakers 3-peat started from 2000-2002 when Phil Jackson took over as head coach. Kobe was in his prime, dominating the league from the shooting guard position, the Los Angeles Lakers won their first championship since 1988.

The 2nd championship run was even more dominant as the Lakers went 16-1 in the playoffs. Kobe Bryant played heavy minutes and recorded a stat line of 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. He eventually ended up making the All-NBA Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the second year in a row. However, Kobe Bryant and the crew were successful in beating their division rivals and confirming their spot in the third consecutive NBA Finals. At the age of 23, Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships.

In the 2009 NBA season, after losing to the Boston Celtics in the previous season, the Los Angeles Lakers had a chip on their shoulder. Kobe Bryant came back extremely motivated, leading his team to a 65-17 regular-season record. Kobe won his 4th ring and his first without Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant was the first player to average at least 32.4 points and 7.4 assists in the NBA Finals after Jerry West in the 1969 NBA Finals.

In 2010, for the 2nd time in his career, Kobe Bryant made it to the NBA Finals 3 years in a row. During the run to the Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and the Phoenix Suns. It was time for revenge for Kobe Bryant, as he took out the Boston Celtics in 6 games to secure his 5th NBA Championship ring.