WHEN: Today, Monday, August 22nd
WHERE: CNBC's "Squawk on the Street"
Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC EXCLUSIVE interview with NBA champion Kobe Bryant and Jeff Stibel, co-founder of their new venture capital fund Bryant Stibel, on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" (M-F, 9AM-11AM ET) today, Monday, August 22nd. Following are links to the interview on CNBC.com: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000544915 and http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000544914.
All references must be sourced to CNBC.
QUINTANILLA: THEY SAY RINGING THE OPENING BELL AT THE NYSE IS A LOT LIKE WINNING AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP. OUR NEXT GUEST KNOWS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BOTH. JOINING US IN A CNBC EXCLUSIVE, OUR BELL RINGERS AND CO-FOUNDERS OF BRYANT STIBEL, FIVE-TIME NBA CHAMPION KOBE BRYANT AND FORMER WEB.COM CEO JEFF STIBEL. GUYS, WELCOME. CONGRATULATIONS BOTH OF YOU
BRYANT: THANK YOU.
QUINTANILLA: GREAT TO SEE YOU.
BRYANT: GOOD TO BE HERE.
QUINTANILLA: FIRST TIME HERE.
BRYANT: FIRST TIME HERE, YEAH. FIRST TIME HERE. LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN IT DOES ON TELEVISION.
QUINTANILLA: YEAH.
BRYANT: I MUST SAY. THIS IS A HUGE HONOR TO BE HERE.
QUINTANILLA: YOU CERTAINLY OBVIOUSLY ARE DRAWING A LOT OF INTEREST. WHAT'S THE MISSION HERE, GUYS? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO JEFF?
STIBEL: IT'S INCREDIBLY SIMPLE. WE WANT TO HELP ENTREPRENEURS SUCCEED. NOTHING MORE. WE BELIEVE THAT COMPANIES ARE BUILT BY GREAT PEOPLE AND WE WANT TO INVEST BEHIND GREAT PEOPLE.
QUINTANILLA: IN WHAT SPACES PARTICULARLY?
STIBEL: SPECIFICALLY WE'RE FOCUSED ON THE CONVERGENCW OF TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND DATA. WE'RE LOOKING TO GO NOT JUST FOR EVOLUTIONARY SHIFTS BUT REVOLUTIONS AND WE'RE SEEING A REVOLUTION RIGHT NOW IN THOSE SPACES AS THEY COLLIDE TOGETHER.
CRAMER: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CANDIDLY THERE'S A LOT OF YOUR INVOLVEMENT THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT AHEAD THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE A STUDENT AND KNOW NOT TO COME OUT UNTIL YOU ARE READY AND HAVE ONE GEAR.
BRYANT: YEAH.
CRAMER: YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED?
BRYANT: IT'S WHETHER OR NOT I HAD A PASSION FOR IT. RIGHT. YOU DON'T WANT TO JUMP INTO SOMETHING IF YOU'RE NOT PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. JEFF AND I HAVE BEEN QUIETLY BUILDING THIS FOR FOUR YEARS AND GETTING A CHANCE TO LEARN EACH OTHER BUT ALSO LEARN THE BUSINESS AND SEE IF I ACTUALLY LOVE IT. AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, NO GREATER FEELING THAN ACTUALLY HELPING ENTREPRENEURS BE SUCCESSFUL AND BEING A PART OF SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY HELPING THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE. THAT'S -- THERE'S NO GREATER FEELING.
CRAMER: IT'S VERY CLEAR YOU ARE NOT A FACE MAN, THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT, THIS IS ACTUAL INVOLVEMENT, SCOPELY A BIG HIT FOR YOU GUYS. HOTTEST AREA.
BRYANT: SCOPELY IS ON FIRE RIGHT NOW. AND THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT YOU GET TO SEE ME. WALTER IS A GREAT CEO. OUR OTHER COMPANIES AS WELL BEING SUCCESSFUL.
STIBEL: WE HAVE LEGALZOOM. TALKING ABOUT SERIOUS COMPANIES, WE'RE BEHIND THE SCENES, NOT IN FRONT. YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT JIM. I MEAN THIS ISN'T ABOUT ENDORSING. THIS IS ABOUT HELPING ENTREPRENEURS BUILD THEIR COMPANIES AND DOING IT IN THE RIGHT WAY PUTTING THEM FIRST AND FOREMOST AND THAT'S WHY YOU NEVER HEARD OF US BEFORE EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE HEARD OF US BEFORE.
QUINTANILLA: IN 20 YEARS, ARE WE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT YOUR LEGACY IN BASKETBALL OR INVESTING? WHICH WOULD YOU PREFER?
BRYANT: INVESTING. LISTEN, PLAYING BASKETBALL, YOU KNOW, THE FOCUS IS ALWAYS ON WINNING. WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS, WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS. WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS GO COME AND GO. IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER TEAM THAT WINS ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP, ANOTHER PLAYER THAT WINS ANOTHER MVP AWARD. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT LASTS GENERATIONS, YOU HAVE TO HELP INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION. RIGHT. THEY CREATE SOMETHING GREAT. AND THEN THAT GENERATION WILL INSPIRE THE ONE BEHIND THEM. THAT'S WHEN YOU CREATE SOMETHING FOREVER. AND THAT'S WHAT'S MOST BEAUTIFUL.
QUINTANILLA: AND IS THERE AN ATHLETE THAT HAS DONE THAT THE WAY YOU WANT TO DO IT?
BRYANT: WE ALL DO IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY. WE ALL HAVE TO FIND WHAT OUR PASSION IS. THIS IS ONE OF MY PASSIONS. THIS AND STORY TELLING. THIS IS WHERE IT'S AT FOR ME. AND SO WE'RE ABSOLUTELY ONE GEAR. 100% LASER FOCUSED. AND OFF WE GO.
CRAMER: WHO HAS TECHNOLOGY YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW? YOU MENTIONED VIDEO AND ENTERTAINMENT. OBVIOUSLY COMMUNICATIONS. WHO IS THE ROLE MODEL FOR YOU?
BRYANT: WELL, WHEN I LOOK AT ROLE MODELS I LOOK AT THEM A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. I DON'T LOOK AT EXACTLY HOW THEY GO ABOUT DOING IT BUT LOOK MORE TO THE PERSON AND HOW THEY NAVIGATE THROUGH THE UPS AND DOWNS OF WHAT THEY GO THROUGH. THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME. HOW ARE THEY ABLE TO BALANCE THE EMOTIONS AS THEY GO THROUGH THE UPS AND DOWNS. AND WHEN YOU LEARN HOW THEY CAN NAVIGATE THROUGH THAT THEN PERSONALLY YOU CAN NAVIGATE THROUGH ANYTHING AND WE TELL OUR CEOs THAT ALL THE TIME. NOT NECESSARILY THE ACTION, BUT HOW YOU NAVIGATE YOURSELF THROUGH THE ACTION AND LEAD YOUR COMPANY THROUGH IT.
CRAMER: LET ME ASK YOU, LEGALZOOM, I ALWAYS THOUGHT ONE DAY THEY WOULD COME PUBLIC. YOU DID WEB.COM. IS THE PLAN TO CAPITALIZE AND HAVE THE SAME KIND OF END MARKET WHERE WE ALL GET TO OWN SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS PUT TOGETHER?
STIBEL: THAT'S OUR HOPE. THAT'S OUR GOL. FOR SURE. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT TRANSLATING WHAT WE'RE TRYING DO, HELPING ENTREPRENEURS WITH THEIR PASSION INTO COMPANIES, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR ARE STABLE, ROBUST COMPANIES, THAT CAN TRANSFORM INDUSTRIES. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VALUE GROWTH, WE DON'T THINK THERE ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. WE THINK THEY'RE THE SAME THING. YOU CAN FIND VALUE IN GREAT COMPANIES AND TRANSFORM THEM INTO, YOU KNOW, INTO GROWTH DRIVERS WHETHER IT'S SCOPELY OR LEGALZOOM OR A COMPANY LIKE ALIBABA, WHICH WENT PUBLIC EARLIER. YOU KNOW, OUR FOCUS IS ON BUILDING THESE GREAT COMPANIES, TELLING THE RIGHT STORY, AND TRANSFORMING THEM INTO WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC COMPANIES, COMPANIES THAT SELL, OR, YOU KNOW, BEHEMOTHS THAT GO ON TO BE FORTUNE 500s. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO BUILD.
QUINTANILLA: I WONDER WHAT YOU THINK WE TALK ABOUT VALUATION ALL THE TIME. IS YOUR SENSE THAT THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE. WE GOT A REPORT OVER THE WEEKEND LYFT IS HAVING TROUBLE FINDING BUYERS.
STIBEL: THEY FOUND ONE.
QUINTANILLA: YEAH.
STIBEL: LOOK, COMPANIES ARE ALWAYS EXPANSIVE COMPANIES ARE ALWAYS CHEAP. YOU'VE GOT TO FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE AND YOU'VE GOT TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HOW YOU'RE INVESTING AND HOW YOU'RE BUILDING COMPANIES. PEOPLE THOUGHT ALIBABA WAS A CHEAP COMPANY AT ONE POINT. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS AN EXPENSIVE COMPANY AT ONE POINT. THE QUESTION IS WHERE ARE THEY HEADED? ALIBABA IS DEMOCRATIZING E-COMMERCE IN ASIA AND THEY COULD BE DOING IT ACROSS THE REST OF THE WORLD. IF YOU LOOK AT SCOPELY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DOING WHAT WAS DONE IN OTHER CONTENT AREAS IN GAMING. SO FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT. WAS IT AN EXPENSIVE VALUATION WITH THE LAST ROUND WHEN THEY RAISED ALL THAT MONEY. YOU COULD SAY THAT OR SAY IT WAS INCREDIBLY CHEAP BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY'RE ABOUT TO DO, SAME IS TRUE OF LEGALZOOM AND THE OTHERS.
CRAMER: NOW SCOPELY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT FASCINATED ME YOU HAVE SKIN IN THE GAME. YOU SAVED YOUR MONEY.
BRYANT: OH, YEAH.
CRAMER: YOU DID WELL AND THEN YOU INVESTED. ANY ADVICE FOR ATHLETES NOW COMING OUT WHO GET PAID BIG ENDORSEMENTS AND SEEM BROKE IN A COUPLE YEARS.
BRYANT: WELL BECAUSE HERE'S THE PROBLEM. ONCE YOU RETIRE, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT SOURCE OF INCOME THAT'S COMING IN, RIGHT. EVEN IF YOU SAVE OVER 15-YEAR CAREER, YOU'RE SPEND HABITS REMAIN THE SAME. EVENTUALLY THE WELL WILL RUN DRY. UNFORTUNATELY FOR US ATHLETES RETIREMENT AGE IS 32, 34 F YOU'RE LUCKY, 37 LIKE MYSELF. WHAT COMES NEXT? SO THE QUESTION NEEDS TO BE WHAT COMES NEXT. WHAT CAN I DO. WHAT IS MY PASSION. NOT WHERE I CAN CREATE THE MOST VALUE OR GENERATE THE MOST REVENUE BUT WHAT IS MY NEXT PASSION. WHEN YOU FIND THAT NEXT PASSION EVERYTHING ELSE WILL MAKE SENSE. THAT'S THE HARDEST PART FOR US.
CRAMER: NOW I KNOW THAT SCOPELY IS VIDEO GAMES, I THINK VIDEO GAMES ARE ACTUALLY THE HOTTEST PART OF TECHNOLOGY AND THE CHIPS THAT GO INTO VIDEO GAMES MAKE IT SO IT'S LIFE LIKE. THIS WILL BE LIKE WHAT NBA 2 K FOR TV SHOWS THAT HAVE CHARACTERS.
BRYANT: IT COULD BE.
STIBEL: ABSOLUTELY.
BRYANT: ABSOLUTELY COULD BE.
QUINTANILLA: ARE YOU GETTING GOOD AT READING BALANCE SHEETS AND INCOME STATEMENTS?
BRYANT: NO. I'M GETTING BETTER AT IT, BUT IT IS NOT MY STRENGTH. RIGHT. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN JEFF AND I SAT AROUND AND SAID OK, WE SHOULD DO THIS COMPANY, HIS MIND AUTOMATICALLY WENT TO OPERATIONS, MINE WENT TO STORY LOGO AND, RIGHT. WE JUST WENT DIFFERENT WAYS.
STIBEL: WE'RE A TEAM.
BRYANT: RIGHT. SAME AT THE CORE, BUT JUST TWO DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE BRAIN.
CRAMER: I HAVE TO ASK THIS. JUST AS A PERSON, I MEAN, I'VE IDOLIZED YOU FROM THE DAYS YOU CAME OUT OF LOWER MARION.
BRYANT: THANK YOU.
CRAMER: HOW CAN YOU BE SO HUMBLE? HONEST TO GOD. I MEAN, LISTEN TO WHAT – HE ASKED YOU A QUESTION AND YOU COULD HAVE SAID YEAH, I'M GETTING GOOD AT IT. BUT NO, YOU JUST SAID I'M A STUDENT.
BRYANT: YEAH, NO.
CRAMER: THAT'S JUST BEEN YOUR WAY.
BRYANT: BUT I MEAN, WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY LEARN. I MEAN THAT'S WHY OUR MANTRA IS VALUE GROWTH. BECAUSE TO GROW, YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY LEARN, YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY MOVE, CONSTANTLY IMPROVE. THAT'S THE KEY. THAT'S WHAT MAKES LIFE FUN, I THINK.
QUINTANILLA: CEO YOU ADMIRE MORE THAN OTHERS?
BRYANT: CEO I ADMIRE MORE THAN OTHERS. WELL, I WORK VERY, VERY CLOSELY WITH MARK PARKER. AND MARK HAS BEEN A GREAT MENTOR OF MINE FOR YEARS. I MEAN, THERE'S TIMES WHERE I WILL – I CAN'T SLEEP AND I WILL SHOOT MARK A TEXT MESSAGE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I'M HAVING TROUBLE BUILDING THIS COMPANY HERE WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER, HOW DID YOU DO IT. AND HE GIVES ME VERY DETAILED RESPONSES. SO, YOU KNOW, MP FOR ME, HAS BEEN EVERYTHING.
CRAMER: DOES HE EVER SLEEP? I'VE SHOT HIM AN E-MAIL TO TRY TO GET – HE COMES BACK AT ME, I MEAN, THAT GUY IS ON HIS GAME.
BRYANT: YEAH, HE'S ALWAYS THINKING. HE'S A THINKER. AND WHAT I LOVE DOING IS COLD CALLING PEOPLE GETTING THEIR BOOK LIST. WHAT DID YOU READ? WHAT DID YOU LEARN? HOW DID YOU LEARN IT? YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS.
QUINTANILLA: LEBRON HAS A NEW SHOW ON OUR NETWORK CALLED "CLEVELAND HUSTLES."
BRYANT: YES.
QUINTANILLA: ANY ADVICE FOR HIM GETTING INTO THE WORLD OF MEDIA?
BRYANT: WELL, NO ADVICE REALLY. I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HE LOVES TO DO AND HE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT DOING. I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY THE KEY. YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE THE LOVE TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE WHATEVER BUMPS COME YOUR WAY. SO I'M SURE HE WILL BE JUST FINE.
CRAMER: IS IT POSSIBLE, I MEAN, WHEN YOU DO BRING ONE OF THESE COMPANIES PUBLIC, DO IT HERE. OKAY. YOU CAN RING THE BELL AGAIN. IT'S TOO EXCITING. WE DON'T GET A LOT OF BIG GUYS LIKE THIS.
STIBEL: DONE.
QUINTANILLA: WE'RE GETTING VIEWERS ASKING, YOU KNOW, CAN I GET IN ON A B ROUND. AT WHAT POINT DO OUTSIDE INVESTORS HAVE A CHANCE?
STIBEL: YEAH, I MEAN, LOOK, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE INVESTING, PROUDLY, OUR MONEY. WE WANT TO LEARN, WE WANT TO GROW, WE WANT TO DO IT ON OUR DIME. AT SOME POINT WE MIGHT RAISE MONEY. WE'RE NOT PREPARED TO DO THAT NOW. FOR SOME OF THESE GREAT COMPANIES, JIM SAID IT BEST. LET'S GET THEM PUBLIC, LET'S GET THEM OUT THERE AND THEN PEOPLE CAN BUY THEM IN THE PUBLIC MARKETS.
CRAMER: WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR CAREER, ALL RIGHT, THERE'S A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU HAD TO CARRY A TEAM. THIS SEEMS LIKE THE OLD DAYS, THOUGH, WHEN YOU HAD THE FULL PANOPLY OF GUYS AT THE LAKERS.
BRYANT: YEAH.
CRAMER: IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE LAST FEW YEARS I THOUGHT YOU HAD TO CARRY IT YOURSELF.
BRYANT: YEAH, BUT SEE, THAT'S THE BEAUTIFUL PART ABOUT BUSINESS, RIGHT? YOU'RE NOT RESTRICTED BY SALARY CAP REGULATIONS, RIGHT? THE ROSTER IS NOT TRICKY.
STIBEL: CAREFUL. WE MIGHT HAVE TO START GIVING PEOPLE RAISES.
BRYANT: NO, YOU GET A CHANCE TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE – THAT THINK THE SAME WAY AND HAVE THE SAME KIND OF PASSION. IT JUST MAKES FOR A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT.
QUINTANILLA: BY THE WAY, YOU SAY YOU'RE 37, BUT NOT FOR LONG.
BRYANT: YEAH.
QUINTANILLA: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW.
CRAMER: YES. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
BRYANT: THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
QUINTANILLA: THE BIG 3-8 FOR KOBE. ALL RIGHT, YOU'LL COME BACK?
BRYANT: FOR SURE.
STIBEL: ABSOLUTELY.
QUINTANILLA: AS IT DEVELOPS. AND BY THEY WAY, WE MENTIONED – YOU TALK ABOUT MARKETING AND STORY TELLING. THE LOGO, WHICH WE SAW EARLIER TODAY, IS KOBE'S. AND IT'S A REFERENCE TO THE PIANO WHICH, OF COURSE, WE'VE SEEN YOU PLAY FOR YEARS.
BRYANT: YEAH. IT'S THE PIANO. THAT'S WHERE IT ORIGINALLY STARTED AND HOW TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC TOGETHER IN HARMONY. AND I SAID MAN, THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A BAR GRAPH. THAT'S FUNNY. YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL ABOUT GROWTH.
QUINTANILLA: GROWING.
STIBEL: AND THAT BALANCE SHEET.
CRAMER: PEOPLE ASK ME, IS THERE ANYONE THAT YOU WOULD STILL BE EXCITED ABOUT GETTING THEIR AUTOGRAPH. THEY SAID NO AND I SAID NO, KOBE. AND I SAW YOU SIGNING JERSEYS WHEN YOU WERE IN NEW ORLEANS THE LAST TIME. AND THERE WAS A LITTLE KID CRYING. I WENT UP TO HIM AND SAID WHAT'S THE MATTER? HE GOES NO, KOBE SIGNED MY JERSEY. YOU ARE JUST THE KIND GUY WHO REPRESENTS US GREAT.
BRYANT: THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
QUINTANILLA: CAN I ASK YOU ONE LAST THING ABOUT COACH K?
BRYANT: YES.
QUINTANILLA: 28 AND 0.
BRYANT: YEAH.
QUINTANILLA: AS HEAD COACH OF OLYMPICS. I MEAN, AMAZING, RIGHT?
BRYANT: YEAH. NO, IT'S AMAZING. BUT THE BIGGEST THING THAT HE DID FOR USA BASKETBALL IS THAT, YOU KNOW, HE BROUGHT IN VETS AND GENERALS TO SPEAK TO US, RIGHT. WHAT HE DID IS HE HAD US, MADE US UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE NOT PLAYING FOR US. BUT WE'RE PLAYING FOR THE U.S. THAT IS THE BIG CHANGE. THAT'S A MONUMENTAL SHIFT. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO HIM.
CRAMER: CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU GUYS.
QUINTANILLA: AND TO YOU GUYS. THANKS FOR COMING IN.
BRYANT: THANK YOU. THANKS FOR HAVING US.
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