Kobe's business legacy!

While Kobe will not be around to witness his astute skills as an entrepreneur, his legacy not only basketball but in the world of business is starting to shine.

With investments in dozens of technology, media and data companies. Kobe already had at least 10 successful exits, including Dell and Alibaba.

His investment firm also has interest in Fortnite creator Epic Games, digital payment company Klarna and household products firm The Honest Company

While Kobe was not the first athlete to transition from a professional sportsman to an entrepreneur successfully, he followed the model of a select number of other sports legends that have been able to transform skills developed on the court into business success.

NBA Hall of Fame point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson was among the first in 1987 when he founded investment firm Magic Johnson Enterprises, which invested in many sizeable businesses, including Starbucks and New York's LaGuardia airport

Kobe set up a venture capital firm called Bryant Stibel after partnering up with web.com founder Jeff Stibel in 2013. Kobe's reputation as a star athlete and brand builder has been one of the portfolio's keys to success.

It was no secret that Kobe made millions of dollars on his investment in sports drink Body Armor, which in 2018 boosted its valuation by selling a stake to Coca Cola.

His talent as an entrepreneur started reverberating through the sports world, even other top athletes turned to him for business advice. Micheal Phelps was one athlete that openly admits to having met Kobe to “pick his brains” on certain investment and business ideas.

Kobe wasn’t just a good basketballer and entrepreneur, he was a great storyteller as well. This was special talent came to the forefront through his media company Granity Studios.

In 2018, he wrote and narrated a short film called “Dear Basketball” which won the Academy Award for best animated short film. The studio also released a set of books for young adults, along with Kobe's autobiography, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play."

Though Kobe was a role model to many, he wasn’t without controversy. In late 2003, he was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year old woman, through the episode came “The Black Mamba”, an opportunity to rebrand himself. He self-proclaimed that his sporting abilities were like the most feared snake on the planet. Relentless and ferocious.

The branding exercise worked out brilliantly for Kobe. It was probably the best example of image building in modern sports history. The new image also gave birth to other initiatives like the Mamba foundation and sports academy that was set to change the public perception of Kobe Bryant.

The world has lost a top-class athlete, though the flesh is not around, his legacy will live on forever not just in sports but also the business world.

R.Sasikumar is a professional athlete turned sports entrepreneur. He built his sports marketing agency with just his credit card and grow it to an 8 figure business which was acquired in 2016 by a Japanese Multi-Media Giant.