Kobe Bryant’s death rocked the world of sport.
The NBA legend and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas near LA on January 26, 2020.
At the time of his passing, the 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers icon was worth $US680 million ($1.3 billion), making him one of the richest athletes of all time.
The basketball great had made a few plays in real estate. He lived with his wife Vanessa and their children in a home he had purchased in 2008 from his agent for $US9.45 million ($A13.7 million), The US Sun reports.
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Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant in 2019. Picture: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Bryant had purchased one of the properties for his mother-in-law to live in but later sold it for a multimillion-dollar profit.
Bryant sold off two other properties in the same Newport Beach neighbourhood over the past decade at a profit.
The retired sports star also owned the office space for his businesses, which he bought for $US5.8 million ($A8.4 million) in 2015.
Nine months following the five-time NBA champion’s death, his wife Vanessa listed their investment home in Irving, California for $US1.995 million ($A2.9 million).
Two days later, someone scooped up the home for $US2 million ($A2.9 million), according to the Los Angeles Times.
The office space for his businesses, which he bought for $US5.8 million in 2015.
What was Kobe Bryant’s fortune?
Bryant’s huge fortune was amassed primarily through his NBA career, having spent a mammoth 20 years in the professional game.
He also had a number of business ventures and sponsorship deals with brands such as Nike, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz and Hublot.
After retiring, he turned the millions he made during his years with the Los Angeles Lakers into more than a billion dollars.
He did this through endorsement deals, branching out with a variety of media projects and above all else by founding a venture capital firm that – at one stage – had assets of over $US2 billion ($A2.9 billion).
The five-time NBA champion passed away as one of just seven athletes to be worth a billion dollars.
Bryant’s entire fortune was reportedly inherited by his wife Vanessa and their three surviving children, Natalia, Bianka and Capri.
The family also received control over his stake in the sports drink, BodyArmor.
Bryant’s huge fortune was amassed primarily through his NBA career. Picture: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Bryant and wife Vanessa during the 2009 ESPY awards. Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for ESPY
Kobe Bryant’s career
Bryant’s fame transcended the sport and he was truly a global icon, feared and respected by opposing teams and fans alike.
The basketball great remains one of the most lethal shooters to ever play the game, but was also a hugely effective defensive asset at the other end of the court.
He was active between 1996 and 2016, being the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons.
Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets 24 years ago, but the franchise immediately traded him to the LA Lakers.
In Los Angeles, Bryant carved out a career as a pure sporting entertainer and fan favourite.
He won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was named an All-Star in just his second season.
And by the mid-2000s he was breaking records without breaking sweat.
Bryant waves as he walks off the court after the game a against the Charlotte Hornets in 2015. Picture: Reid Kelley/NBAE via Getty Images
In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history.
With the Lakers, Bryant went on to win five NBA championships, with the last in 2010.
A rarity in sport, Bryant was a one team man. Throughout a glittering career, he appeared for just ONE NBA side, becoming a global face of both the franchise and the league itself.
Bryant played shooting guard for the Lakers from his draft 1996 all the way up to his retirement in 2016.
He scored 33,643 total points in his career, which works out at around 25 per game.
And at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games he helped lead Team USA to the gold medal.
Parts of this story first appeared in The US Sun and was republished with permission.
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