IndexNet WorthKobe Bryant and FamilyConclusionAt birth, he was named Kobe Bean Bryant on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised Roman Catholic and is the only son in his family, having two older sisters: Sharia Washington and Shaya Bryant-Tabb. His parents are Joe and Pamela Cox Bryant. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Kobe is named after a special type of beef prepared by the Japanese; Kobe and his father's nickname; Jelly Bean. He initially lived in his place of birth before moving to Italy where he spent most of his formative years. He was also there, he learned the language and culture of the Italians. Later in his life, his family moved back to the United States of America, where he also became accustomed to the ways of the Americans. So, he is bilingual and speaks both Italian and English fluently. Bean developed an interest in basketball when he was a child. His father, who was an accomplished basketball player during his heyday, influenced his knowledge of the games. Then, by the time he was a student at Merion High School in Ardmore, he had acquired more skills than his peers and was noted as one of the best b-ballers in the school. Furthermore, he has achieved many awards and achievements in school. Forgoing college, Kobe Bryant decided to turn professional and joined the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA draft. Then, he became the first guard to enter the NBA, fresh out of high school. There are no documents showing his commitments to the team, however, he renounced the team and joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Furthermore, at that time, he was only 17 years old and made his parents sign him to his three-year rookie contract totaling $3.5 million. The b-baller went on to show his relevance with the Lakers by leading them to many wins and few losses. He also separately renewed his contract with the team. Net Worth Kobe's first contract with the Lakers was when he was a teenager, he first signed a $3.5 million deal with the team and later re-signed a $70 million contract extension with them. Over time, he earned over $24 million dollars per year and counting the years he spent with the Lakers, he pocketed over $300 million to take home each year. Apart from his career as a b-baller, he has also added other perks to boost his income. He is the brand face of organizations such as Nike, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz and many others. From the documents, his business dealings with these companies are estimated to exceed $300 million. Furthermore, he walked the path of a business tycoon. He teamed up with Jeff Stibel, an entrepreneur, to launch a venture capital fund known as Bryant Stibel. The firm focuses exclusively on investments in data, media and especially technology companies. The b-baller has also extended his hands to the world through his partnership with the charity organization After-school All-Stars. He is the founder of the Kobe Basketball Academy. Away from his career, Kobe Bryant once walked the path of a musical artist, however, his first and only single released with the high school troupe, Cheizaw failed to impress the audience after it was played. at an NBA event. Among all these, there is no doubt that Kobe Bryant's net worth of $500 million is well deserved. He has worked hard all these years to accumulate such a huge amount of money. Kobe Bryant and Family Kobe Bryant married his sweetheart Vanessa Lain Bryant in 2001. He met her while she was a high school student and within.