Kobe Bryant Estate Banks $400M in Coca-Cola and BodyArmor Deal

By Norman Dotson Published: November 3, 2021

Kobe Bryant Estate Banks $400M in Coca-Cola and BodyArmor Deal

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2017 file photo, from left, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, wife Vanessa and daughter Natalia Diamante Bryant are seen before a Connecticut-UCLA NCAA women's basketball game in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant's widow on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed the former Los Angeles Lakers star and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna last month. The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles Superior Court said the pilot was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions Jan. 26 and should have aborted the flight. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

In Summary

The estate for Kobe Bryant nets $400 million from a deal where Coca-Cola buys full control of BodyArmor.

The estate for Kobe Bryant is set to receive $400 million from a deal where Coca-Cola buys full control of the BodyArmor sports drink company.

According to a report in Sports Illustrated, Bryant invested $6 million in the company in 2014, making him a major stakeholder early in the company’s creation. Coke bought 15% stake in the company back in 2018, then earned an additional 15% equity stake after taking control of distribution for BodyArmor.

On November first, Coca-Cola released a statement about the $5.6 billion purchase showing appreciation to Bryant’s contribution through his vision and belief in the brand. Founder of BodyArmor Mike Repole added on his praise in the announcement.

“Our talented leadership team under Brent Hastie, our 400 dedicated employees and incredible Coca-Cola bottling partners have helped us build this remarkable brand. If it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant’s vision and belief, BODYARMOR would not have been able to achieve the success we had,” Repole said.

The announcement was released at exactly 8:24 a.m. to honor the NBA legend’s two jerseys.

The NBA star died in a tragic helicopter crash along with daughter Gianna and seven other people in January 2020. Bryant was the third largest stakeholder with the company.