Kobe Bryant, LLC submitted four applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office signed by Vanessa Bryant for a possible wine venture.
A week after his 10% stake in BodyArmor earned Kobe Bryant’s family $400 million after the sports drink brand sold an 85% stake to Coca-Cola for $5.6 billion, the Bryant family seems to be looking to make further inroads in the beverage space.
On Friday, Nov. 5, Kobe Bryant, LLC filed four new applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office, as noted by Josh Gerben of Gerben Law. MAMBA VINO 2024, MAMBA VINO 24, MAMBA VINO 8, and MAMBA VINO would clearly indicate that the Kobe Bryant brand’s next steps will take it into the wine business.
“The applicant has a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce and had a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce as of the application filing date on or in connection with the goods/services in the application,” the filings, signed by Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, all state.
Of course, the trademark applications include Kobe’s numbers 8 and 24, both are which retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Aside from five NBA championships, 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA nods and an MVP with the Lakers that saw him score the fourth-most points in league history, the late Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic gold medalist was also incredibly accomplished off the court. Kobe’s animated short film, Dear Basketball, earned him an Academy Award in 2018. Just months before his untimely death, he started a critically acclaimed series of children’s books. His Mamba Academy help train the next generation of athletes and his many charitable initiatives included the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation, the Los Angeles United Way, and the Boys & Girls Clubs.
But with his apparent venture into wine, he joins a very large list of current and former athletes looking to squeeze money out of the wine business. Drew Bledsoe, Yao Ming, Jeff Gordon, Wayne Gretzky, Terrell Owens and Peggy Fleming are among the many names in an extremely crowded industry. But like Bryant’s legacy, you’d have to imagine that his wine business would only look and taste better with age.
