Los Angeles Lakers: The Prodigious Kobe Bryant Paycheck

For most Americans, earning $1 million in their entire lifetime seems like a tough feat as it is.  Well folks, Kobe Bryant was just paid $24,363,044 in one evening.

As a part of his three-year, $90 million contract extension the Lakers signed him to in 2010, terms of the deal ensured that Bryant would receive 80 percent of his 2013-14 salary on the season’s first payday, Nov. 1.  The 18-year NBA veteran has a total salary this season of $30,453,805, leaving the remaining $6.1 million to be given to him throughout the rest of the year.

While we all knew that the Black Mamba was the highest paid player in the league, nobody really knew that he would receive such a bulk sum of money, especially while not being out there with his team for the first few weeks of the season.

Without a doubt, the question that remains is if the five-time NBA champion will be content with receiving less money in his future contract with Los Angeles.  According to Jim Buss, Lakers’ management doesn’t want to wait until Bryant is a free agent next summer to discuss a new deal.  Buss went on record saying that Bryant is “a Laker legend and always will be,” which speaks volume to how much this franchise values his commitment since 1996.

In the video below, Bryant discusses what it means for the team to publicly express their interest in keeping him on board for possible championship runs in the remaining years he has left:

It is going to be an extremely tough situation for Los Angeles, considering they are approaching the biggest free agency market in three years.  Possible 2014 free agents include the two names that everyone has in their magnifiers; LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.  Of the two small forwards, one has already expressed his interest in becoming a free agent, while the other wants to keep all the details to himself until the year is over.  Many feel that both are destined to stay in their current locations, but nothing can ever be set in stone when the Lakers brand decides to make their push at top free agents.

This summer, in the midst of losing Dwight Howard as a teammate to keep the team relevant in the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant was asked numerous times if he would consider taking a pay cut when his current contract expires.

The response was quite alarming for Lakers’ fans, but reasonable when you step back and look at it.

"“I’m not taking any (pay cut) at all.  That’s the negotiation that you have to have.” Bryant stated on July 10th in an interview with LakersNation.com.  “For me to sit here and say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m just going to take a huge pay cut’. Nah, I’m going to try to get as much as I possibly can.”"

Yes, this does sound like Bryant.  From listening to him in extensive interviews throughout the years, we can all picture him standing in front of a media crowd and uttering these words.

However, is he necessarily wrong?

A glimpse of what could be a dynamic scoring duo in 2014-15, if Bryant is willing to take a little less money.

Not at all.  Take a look at this way:  How many all-time greats have stuck with their first franchise, the one that took them under their wing as young prospects?  With the level of success (five championships) that Bryant has accumulated through the years, the added prosperity he has brought to this Lakers’ franchise to keep the fans always believing in the purple and gold, we are seeing something that may be unprecedented.  Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak would have to answer to these points if they decide that Bryant has to take a significant pay cut.

On the other end, it may be Bryant’s only choice if another title shot is desired.  When the 2009 and 2010 championships were won, the league was not predicated on joining two or three superstars together.  Now, it’s almost necessary in order to contend in either conference (unless your name is the Indiana Pacers).

The payroll situation is already hard enough for owners to deal with in the NBA without paying huge tax dollars.  It’s about to get even more difficult with Bryant’s name and reputation speaking loudly in the new contract negotiations.

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