Oct 30, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) behind the bench during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 125-94. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Kobe Bryant’s albatross of a contract has handicapped the Lakers over the past few seasons. With his $30.4 million contract taking over half the Laker’s cap space, it’s been the center of many an “amnesty” conversation prior to this summer. But with Metta World Peace being the victim of the amnesty provision, Bryant is officially safe, and he cashed in on that deal in a huge way Friday.
Because of how he negotiated his contract, Kobe Bryant gets most of his salary in one payment. Today, he'll make a cool $24.4 million.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 1, 2013
Talk about paydays! In Bryant’s negotiations, he was granted 80% of his current contract up front. Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, players can only receive 25% up front, but Bryant’s contract was grandfathered in.
So it begs the question, what does a man like Kobe Bryant buy with $24 million?