Writing | Fez
Less than 4 a.m. on January 27, 2020, Beijing time (less than 12 noon on January 26, local time in Los Angeles), TMZ Sports, ESPN,ABCCNN and many other foreign media reported that at around 10 a.m. local time on January 26, NBA legend Kobe Bryant (Kobe Bryant) crashed in foggy weather in Calabasas, California, and caught fire in foggy weather in Calabasas, California. All nine people on board died, including Kobe Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Maria Onore, who flew in a helicopter to Mamba Academy for basketball training at the time.
In his 20-year career, Kobe has a long record: after more than 1,300 games, won 5 titles, and a maximum of 81 points in a single game. According to statistics, Kobe Bryant's total career salary and sponsorship income reached 680 million US dollars. This is an all-time record for career financial earnings of team event athletes.
Kobe is also an excellent businessman and investor. On August 23, 2016, Kobe Bryant announced the establishment of a venture capital fund “Bryant Stibel” with a capital of 100 million US dollars on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). As of September 2019, Bryant Stibel's asset management scale has exceeded 2 billion US dollars.
Judging from the current investment results, of the 15 companies it has invested in, 2 have been acquired. In addition, Kobe has also invested in 2 well-known Chinese companies:Alibabaand VIPKID.
At the same time, as a legendary NBA superstar, Kobe's advertising endorsement value has also been fully exploited. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than ten Chinese brands and products that Kobe has endorsed.
The legendary Mamba dies in California
In the 1996 NBA Draft, Kobe Bryant, a high school student who grew up in Philadelphia, was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick in the first round. Even though he was traded to the Lakers, he played for the Purple Gold Legion throughout his entire NBA career.
Throughout his career, Kobe Bryant can be described as having numerous reputations. He has followed the Lakers to win the NBA Championship 5 times, the regular season MVP 1 time, the Finals MVP 2 times, and the All-Star Game MVP 4 times. In addition, he was selected for the NBA All-Star team 18 times, the league's best team 15 times (11 times for 1 game, 2 times for 2 games, 2 times for 3 games), and 12 times for the league's best defensive lineup (9 times for 1 game, 3 times for 2 games). However, the No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys he used to wear were both retired by the Lakers. From entering the NBA to his official retirement, Kobe Bryant ranked first in the history of the Lakers in terms of total points (33643 points), three-point hits (1,827), steals (1944), and appearances (1,346 games). Furthermore, his 6306 assists in his career ranked second in the history of the Lakers.
However, due to his Achilles tendon rupture injury, he finally chose to officially retire after the 2015-16 season, and after leaving, he also began to get involved in business. Not only did he publish many works individually, but he also actively participated in philanthropy, and won the 90th Academy Award for Best Short Film for his collaboration with animator Glen Keane, “Dear Basketball.”
Earlier, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of candidates for 2020. Kobe, Duncan, and Garnett are all on the list. If it weren't for this accident, Kobe would join hands with Duncan and Garnett to enter the Hall of Fame in September this year and deliver a speech... According to ESPN, Kobe still had at least three peers around him when the private helicopter crashed. According to first responders, after the plane landed, there was also a fire at the scene, but there was no sign of survival. According to the Los Angeles County Police Division, nine people died in this incident, including his beloved daughter Gianna, and his wife Vanessa was not among them. However, the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Kobe has been in the habit of traveling by private helicopter for many years, and the helicopter he purchased is the Sikorsky S-76. He usually likes to depart from Newport Beach, California, and take a helicopter to the Stamps Center Stadium in downtown Los Angeles. Just recently, he watched several NBA games with his beloved daughter Gianna.
It is worth mentioning that shortly before the accident, Lakers star LeBron James had just surpassed him to rank third in the NBA's all-time scoring list. At 10:39 p.m. EST on Saturday, Kobe Bryant was still active on social media and passedTwitterCongratulations to James.
After receiving this news, many NBA stars also expressed their regret.
Kobe Bryant's former teammate Paul Gasol immediately tweeted: “It's so hopeless... my big brother... I can't believe it...”
O'Neill, who is also Kobe's former teammate and has been in love with Kobe for many years, said, “I can't express my pain in words...”
Wade said, “Noooooooooooo God, please No!”
James couldn't stop crying when he heard about Kobe's death.
Paul George, who has always regarded Kobe as an idol, can be described as speechless, “Stop playing.”
Kevin Lovell couldn't believe it after hearing the news, “Never, never, I hope this isn't true.” Luka Doncic, who was recently selected as an All-Star starter, gave the same attitude, “This can't be true!!”
Spurs legend Tony Parker, who has played with Kobe many times, said, “I am heartbroken by these news. You are a true legend and a true friend. May your soul rest in peace, Kobe, and pray for his wife and children.”
Meanwhile, in China, news of the Kobe incident quickly blew up the screen as soon as it was released, and it immediately appearedWeiboTop of the Hot Searches list.
The investment empire of business geniuses
Kobe Bryant, who unfortunately passed away young, left a legacy far beyond the basketball court. He is also an excellent investor and brand builder. Kobe's investment projects mainly focus on technology, media, and data, and the investment company's assets exceed 2 billion US dollars.
In 2013, Kobe founded Kobe Inc., then invested $6 million in the sports drink BodyArmor. BodyArmor is a niche brand. One year after Kobe was established, the company's annual sales rose from 3 million US dollars to 30 million US dollars, and reached 235 million US dollars in 2017. In 2018,coca colaKobe, the third shareholder, made over $200 million from the acquisition of a number of shares in the company.
On August 23, 2016, Kobe Bryant announced the establishment of a venture capital fund “Bryant Stibel” on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with a capital of 100 million US dollars. The investment direction is technology, media, and data. On the same day, Kobe announced a strategic investment in the Chinese online children's English education brand VIPKID. This is also the second innovative enterprise that Kobe has invested in China after investing in Alibaba in 2014.
Judging from the current investment results, 2 of the 15 companies it has invested in have been acquired, including online apparel sales platform Represent and social advertising platform SHIFT, which was acquired for 100 million US dollars in February 2016.
Kobe Bryant talked about his personal investment experience in an interview with CNBC in September last year. “You have to find great entrepreneurs; our key job is to observe others. The return on investment is of course also important, right? But it is also important to establish good relationships with investors and find good (investment opportunities); it is also necessary to find opportunities for entrepreneurs to help them grow and create conditions for them to succeed.”
In 2017, Kobe,NikeIn addition, the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Clubs collaborated with three parties to establish a youth basketball league called the “Mamba League.” The Mamba League aims to provide children with basic basketball training while building their self-confidence and team spirit. In 2019, the Mamba League expanded its territory from Los Angeles on the west coast to New York on the east coast, and landed in the Harlem neighborhood with a strong basketball culture.
Famous NBA players such as Anthony Davis, Julius Randall, and Rajon Rondo have all chosen the Mamba Athletic Academy for off-season training.
“Mamba spirit” extended off-site
In addition to investment, Kobe's advertising endorsement value has also been fully exploited.
In 1996, as soon as Kobe debuted, he wasAdidasIt was signed (contract value is about 48 million US dollars), but after 6 years of cooperation, only two generations of basketball shoes in the Kobe series were produced, and sales were seriously slow, so the two sides announced their parting ways.
In 1998,NintendoThe company launched a game called “Kobe on the NBA Courtside”. Within a few weeks, game disc sales exceeded one million. In the second season of his career, Kobe became the youngest athlete in history to own a game of his own name.
In 2003, Kobe moved from the Adidas camp to Nike and signed a lifelong sports equipment endorsement contract with him. The simplified Viper Facebook logo for “Black Mamba” is beginning to appear on Nike sneakers. Related sports products have always been favored by basketball fans.
In 2009, Kobe cooperated with the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer “Nubeo (Nubeo)” to launch a series of limited-edition watches named “BlackMamba (BlackMamba),” and personally acted as a spokesperson.
In December 2010, Kobe signed a two-year contract with Turkish Airlines and became the latter's global brand ambassador. From this, a series of classic advertisements were born.
In 2011, Kobe signed a contract with Mercedes-Benz to become a smart brand ambassador in China.
In 2013, Swiss watch brand HUBLOT announced Kobe as Hublot's newest brand ambassador.
In 2013, Lenovo announced that the famous NBA star Kobe Bryant becameassociativeSmartphone spokesperson.
In August 2015, Kobe was announced as the spokesperson for the mobile game “NBA Heroes”.
In 2016,applesIt was announced before its press conference that NBA Lakers star Kobe Bryant and actor Michael B. Jordan (Michael B. Jordan) have been invited to appear in the company's latest advertisement.
In July 2016, Hungry announced at Hi Park in Wukesong that former American professional basketball players Kobe Bryant and Wang Zulan have jointly become the company's brand ambassadors. This is also the first time Kobe has spoken for an internet company.
In November 2018, China's auto aftermarket service brand Auto Superman officially announced that Kobe, a former NBA superstar, has become its ambassador.
For Kobe Bryant himself, the value he has created as a star and investor is unquestionable, and he will always be remembered.
Kobe Bryant once interpreted the “Mamba spirit” as five key words, namely passion, persistence, sternness, counterattack, and fearlessness.
Passion comes from love. If you want to do something successfully, you must first have love and passion. Kobe Bryant's almost insane obsession with his career is an important factor in his success. Kobe is also a person who is extremely strict about himself. He almost harshly suppresses his own potential, and at the same time places strict demands on his team. Kobe Bryant never compromises. When she is in trouble, she is always able to fight back with a positive attitude. The last keyword is the easiest to interpret. Kobe has never been fearless. Whether it comes from outside or from within, he can overcome his fears and fight like a fearless warrior.
Whether in life or death, he gave everything to his beloved basketball. How can Kobe, who has devoted himself so wholeheartedly to his beloved business, not be admired, and why is his early death at the age of 41 not cause anyone to be astonished?