How Vanessa Bryant’s net worth skyrocketed to U$600 million since Kobe’s death: she was awarded millions over photos of the NBA star’s crash and inherited a fortune through his Nike and Coca-Cola gigs
- It’s been over two years since the horrific news of basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s death by helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna and seven others
- He’s survived by his resilient wife, Vanessa, who sued the LA County for taking distressing photos of the scene and plans to gift the multimillion-dollar settlement to a non-profit
More than two years since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, his widow, Vanessa, is still reeling from the untimely demise of the basketball legend.
The mum-of-four and philanthropist, who lost her daughter Gianna in the same tragic helicopter crash that killed her husband, recently made headlines as a jury awarded her a multimillion-dollar settlement in her lawsuit against Los Angeles County over the inappropriate handling and photo-taking by its emergency responders. People reported that the images were very emotionally distressing.
Before this recent hefty settlement, Vanessa was already worth hundreds of millions of dollars. How much is the 40 year old worth now, and what else is there to know about her sources of wealth?
Vanessa Bryant’s net worth is reportedly US$600 million
At the time of his death, Forbes estimated Kobe’s net worth at around US$600 million. Kobe and Vanessa reportedly had no prenuptial agreement, hence they share the same wealth. Celebrity Net Worth has Vanessa’s net worth at the same figure of US$600 million today.
The Bryants’ fortune was mostly built on the basketball legend’s on- and off-the-court earnings. Vanessa’s late husband made more than US$300 million in salary alone with the Los Angeles Lakers, per Market Watch. He also had endorsement deals with global brands such as Nike, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz.
She is the executor of the Bryant estate
Per MarketWatch, Vanessa is the executor of the Bryant estate. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if her net worth ballooned even more, given all the wins that Kobe also had off the court.
In 2013, he started a US$100 million venture capital firm with Jeff Stibel called Bryant Stibel. The partnership works closely with Dun & Bradstreet and has stakes across various tech and media companies such as Dell, Alibaba and Epic Games, among others.
In 2014, Kobe invested around US$4 million to US$6 million in then-start-up sports drink BodyArmor, per Forbes. In 2021, CNBC reported that BodyArmor was sold to Coca-Cola for US$5.6 billion. This sale alone netted the Kobe Bryant Estate, headed by Vanessa, an estimate of US$400 million.