Kobe Bryant’s $6 Million Investment In BodyArmor Sports Drink Is Now Worth $200 Million

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There are three rules in life that are mantra: 1. The Golden Rule; 2. Always bet on yourself; 3. Shoot your shot.

Clearly Kobe Bryant knows when to shoot his shot. On the basketball court and in his post-NBA career as an investor.

Earlier this week, Coca-Cola announced that it purchased a stake in BodyArmor, the fruit juice-based sports drink that boasts superior nutrition and hydration. It’s Coca-Cola’s attempt to play in the same sandbox as Gatorade, which has an estimated 75% market share of the $8 billion U.S. sports beverage market, according to CNN. Gatorade is also owned by PepsiCo, so clearly Coca-Cola is ready to double down on wherever they can to gain ground in a growing sports drink market.

For Coca-Cola, that means it’s time to diversify from Powerade (…which does an annual $1 billion in sales) and get their electrolytes the all-natural way from BodyArmor, which estimates it will do over $400 million in revenue this year, according to MediaPost.

Which brings us to the fourth biggest investor in the brand: Kobe Bryant.

According to ESPN, Bryant bought roughly 10 percent of the company in March 2014 for about $6 million, over time.

According to ESPN, BodyArmor’s new valuation with the Coca-Cola deal mean’s Kobe’s stake is worth big, big bucks: Approximately $200 million, over 30 times his initial investment.

That’s some insane ROI.

It also makes Kobe the fourth biggest investor in the brand. Clearly he believed in the vision:

Bryant is now the fourth largest investor in the brand, marketed as a healthier competitor to Gatorade, behind the brand’s co-founder Mike Repole, Coca-Cola and Keurig Dr Pepper. When he invested in BodyArmor, the brand had just come off a year of $10 million in sales. BodyArmor is projected to top $400 million in sales in 2018.

Bryant earned $328 million from his contract with the Lakers over the course of his 20-year NBA career.

Crazy that his bet on BodyArmor has now earned him a little shy of two-thirds of what he earned in the NBA. What a wild ride for the Black Mamba.

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, helping start this site in 2009. He lives in Los Angeles and likes writing about music and culture. His podcast is called the Mostly Occasionally Show, featuring interviews with artists and athletes, along with a behind-the-scenes view of BroBible. Read more of his work at brandonwenerd.com. Email: brandon@brobible.com