Kobe, goodbye!
Editor’s note: This article comes from WeChat public account “ Forty Capitals ” (ID: DsstCapital), author: Chai good news
Kobe, goodbye!
In the early morning of January 27, 2020, Beijing time, according to CNN, ESPN and other media, the Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California today (30 west of Los Angeles). Kilometers away) died at the age of 41.
It is understood that at the time of the crash of this private helicopter, Kobe had at least three other people accompanying him. According to emergency personnel, a fire broke out at the scene after the plane landed, but no one showed signs of survival.
According to the Los Angeles County Police Division, the incident killed nine people, including his beloved daughter Gianna, who was planning to go to a game with his daughter, along with another player and his parents. And his wife Vanessa is not among them. The specific cause of the crash is still under investigation.
In his 20-year career, Kobe’s record has been numerous: after more than 1,300 games, winning 5 championships, a single game with a maximum of 81 points. According to statistics, Kobe’s player career salary and sponsorship income totaled 680 million US dollars, which is the historical record of professional team athletes’ economic earnings.
Kobe is also an excellent businessman and investor. On August 23, 2016, Bryant announced the establishment of the venture capital fund “Bryant Stibel” on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the United States, with a capital of $ 100 million. As of September 2019, Bryant Stibel’s asset management has exceeded $ 2 billion.
In terms of current investment results, 2 of the 15 companies it has invested in have been acquired, including Represent, an online apparel sales platform acquired in February 2016 by US $ 100 million, and SHIFT, a social advertising platform. According to statistics, Kobe also invested in two well-known Chinese companies: Alibaba and VIPKID.
Legend of the Purple Army
The 1996 NBA Draft, Kobe Bryant, a high school student who grew up in Philadelphia, was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the 13th round of the first round. He was then traded to the Lakers, and his entire NBA career played for the Zijin Army .
Kobe’s career wins NBA with Lakers 5Overall championship (2000-2002, 2009-2010); won 1 regular season MVP (2007-08 season), 2 finals MVP (2009-2010), 4 All-Star MVP (2002 (2007, 2009, 2009 and 2011), tied for the first in NBA history with Bob Petit; a total of 18 NBA All-Star teams, 15 NBA All-NBA teams, 12 NBA All-Defensive teams .
On April 14, 2016, Kobe Bryant announced his retirement after the regular season home game against the Jazz.
“Mamba Out”. In the final game of 2016, Kobe said goodbye to the fans on the spot. In that game against the Jazz, Bryant scored 60 points.
On December 19, 2017, the Lakers faced the Warriors at home. The midfielder held a retirement ceremony for Kobe’s 8th and 24th jerseys.
On March 13, 2018, Kobe won the 90th Academy Award for Best Short Film for his short film “Dear Basketball” in collaboration with animator Glen Keane.
“Mamba Farewell” January 27, 2020 (Mamba Farewell). The news of Kobe’s unexpected death broke out quickly.
The stars lament.
Michael Jordan immediately issued a statement, “I was shocked to learn about the death of Kobe and daughter Jaina. Words cannot describe my pain at the moment. I love Kobe as much as I love my little brother. We used to I often communicate with him and I will always miss the conversation with Kobe. Kobe is very competitive and is one of the greatest basketball players and very creative. At the same time, he is also an outstanding father who loves his family. . Kobe’s second daughter also loves basketball, which makes Kobe proud. My wife and I extend our sincerest greetings to Vanessa, the Los Angeles Lakers, and basketball fans around the world. “
Wade, who is also an enemy and friend of Bryant, was hoarse and exhausted when he heard the news. “No no no no no no no, god, please do n’t do this.”
Paul George, who has always regarded Kobe as an idol, is speechless. “Stop playing.”
Kevin Love could n’t believe it after hearing the news, “Do n’t, do n’t, hope this is not true.” Luca Doncic, who was recently selected as the All-Star starter, gave it The same attitude, “This cannot be trueof! !! ”
Spurs legend Tony Parker, who has played with Kobe many times, said, “I feel heartbroken for these news. You are a true legend and a true friend. May the soul rest, Kobe, for his wife and Children pray. “
Lin Shuhao, who had worked with Kobe at the Lakers, lamented the fragility of life. “Um, no … life needs to be cherished too much. May the soul rest in Kobe.”
As a close friend of Kobe and one of his favorite teammates, Paul Gasol also expressed his views, “Sadness can no longer express my mood ….. my brother ….. I really, really I can’t believe this. “
Not only are NBA stars, but netizens from various countries who have been inspired by Kobe ’s spirit have said, “I still ca n’t believe it.” “He just went to another world to train at 4 am.” “Youth is gone”.
Black Mamba’s Business Empire
Kobe’s love of “doing business” didn’t start with retirement.
As early as 2013, Kobe founded Kobe Inc, and then invested $ 6 million in sports drink BodyArmor. BodyArmor is a niche brand. After Kobe entered the company for a year, the company’s annual sales rose from $ 3 million to $ 30 million and reached $ 235 million in 2017.
It is worth mentioning that in 2018, The Coca-Cola Company invested in BodyArmor. At that time, the market value of the 10% stake held by Bryant had soared to 200 million US dollars.
Kobe has said that it has always had a clear goal for the development of BodyArmor, and that is to strive to become a leader in functional beverages by 2025.
In 2014, according to Vanity Fair, Chris Sacca, a well-known angel investor in Silicon Valley, suggested that Kobe should read more technology and investment articles while watching TED talks. In the following months, Bryant called Chris Sacca several times late at night just to discuss investment issues.
On August 23, 2016, Bryant announced the establishment of the venture capital fund “Bryant Stibel” on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the United States, with a capital of US $ 100 million and investment in technology, media and data. On the same day, Bryant announced a strategic investment in VIPKID, a Chinese online children’s English education brand. This is also the second innovative company that Bryant has invested in China after investing in Alibaba in 2014.
However, Kobe ’s investment in Alibaba has long since exited, missing the jump in Alibaba ’s market value in the following years.
CVSource’s investment data shows that in the portfolio of “Bryant Stibel”, there are sports beverage company BodyArmor, video game publisher Scopely, sports media website The Players Tribune, legal service company Legal Zoom, and so on.
Kobe has also stepped into the pit in investment. In 2016, Kobe participated in the $ 70 million Series B financing of Juicero, a “high-tech” juicer company. As a result, many high-tech companies in this company were confirmed to be “pseudo-technology”, and the project fell into a downturn.
From the current investment results, 2 of the 15 companies it invested in were acquired, including Represent, an online apparel sales platform that was acquired in February 2016 for $ 100 million, and SHIFT, a social advertising platform. In addition, the sports drink brand BodyArmor it invested in initially had annual sales of only $ 3 million, and now has sales of $ 200 million.
About investment, Kobe ’s philosophy is, “If you really want to create value that is passed down from generation to generation, you can only help and inspire the next generation. In this way, the value you create is sustainable, and this is the most beautiful investment Place. “
For Kobe himself, the value he creates as a star and investor is beyond doubt and will always be remembered.
There is no limit to the sky, and Kobe goes all the way.