Bryant's companies have largely remained quiet since his passing, but his enterprises have not been dormantGETTY IMAGES
The late Kobe Bryant "established himself as a burgeoning mogul" after his playing days, and now, on the one-year anniversary of his death, the "Bryant empire continues without him," according to Miller, Harris, Faughnder & Fenno of the L.A. TIMES. Bryant had "planted the seeds" of his future business endeavors years before his death, "creating Newport Beach-based Kobe Inc." Through his Costa Mesa-based Granity Studios production company, he "became an author and an Academy Award-winning filmmaker." And in '16, Bryant "unveiled the venture capital firm Bryant Stibel & Co., which went on to invest in companies including Scopely and LegalZoom." One year after his death, Bryant’s companies "have largely remained quiet, but his enterprises have not been dormant." A sports training venture with which Bryant partnered "has been rebranded; Granity Studios has continued to release new projects; and a limited liability company bearing his name has filed for several trademarks involving his 'Black Mamba' nickname, among other moves." There has been "some under-the-radar activity that suggests groundwork is being laid for new Bryant-related endeavors." In the months after his death, a limited liability company controlled by his family "filed to trademark several words and phrases associated with the late basketball player, including his name, Mamba, Mamba League and Lil’ Mambas." The filing to trademark “Kobe Bryant,” for example, said that the mark "could be used for a slew of purposes" (L.A. TIMES, 1/26).
