In a massive deal that was announced early Monday morning, the soda giant Coca-Cola is buying the sports drink company BodyArmor for over $5 billion in a cash deal. The deal is good news to the Kobe Bryant estate which will net a reported $400 million due to the late Laker stars stake in the company.
Bryant, who was a spokesman for the company, invested $6 million in the company, making him a major shareholder in 2013.
The founder of BodyArmor Mike Repole said the company would not be where it’s at right now without the contributions of the late Kobe Bryant.
"If it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant’s vision and belief, BODYARMOR would not have been able to achieve the success we had," Mike Repole, founder of BodyArmor, said in the release. "I couldn’t be more excited to become part of the Coca-Cola family and set our sights on the future.”
Coke bought a small share of the company back in 2018, they then took another 15% of the company once they took over the distribution of BodyArmor. The company is buying the remaining 70% from a group of investors and pro-athletes that includes Kobe, Mike Trout and James Harden.
Here is a message from Kobe’s widowed wife Vanessa Bryant in a post she shared on Instagram.
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