Kobe Bryant Makes Forbes List of Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities

Since his tragic death in January, Kobe Bryant’s estate continued making the big bucks. Forbes reports Bryant’s estate earned $20 million from shoes and apparel alone, largely via his Nike affiliated lines. The morbid list features numerous surprising names, including Freddy Mercury and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who remains atop the annual ranking.

Here are the highest-paid dead celebrities of 2020: https://t.co/91NeV5Am2h by @MadelinePBerg pic.twitter.com/9vB2s1kVEE

— Forbes (@Forbes) November 13, 2020

After his death last January, Nike immediately sold out of Mamba merchandise.

In August, Nike released colorways of the Kobe V Protro and a limited-edition jersey to honor Bryant’s legacy. Last month, Kobe’s jersey was the second-best seller for the Lakers organization after the team won the championship. Kobe was behind only LeBron James.

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Bryant’s 2018 autobiography “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play” also sold more than 300,000 copies this year, 10 times more than last year.

Kobe was #6 on Forbes’ highest-paid dead celebrities of 2020.  Bryant was reportedly worth $600 million at the time of his death, thanks to his business investments and a 20-year NBA career.

RIP Kobe.

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