You know what lessen the blows of repeated season-ending injuries? Money. Heaps of mullah.
So, when Forbes listed the top-earning athletes over the last year, finding Kobe Bryant near the top felt slightly bittersweet. Yes, his incredible career has played out in a way that he deserves the rate at which money finds its way to his bank account, but that it continues to do so in such disappointing years might irk fans just a bit.
-== How The Top 5 NBA Prospects Fit With The Lakers ==-
For the complete list where Kobe winds up number 10, just behind Tiger Woods, who earned $50.6 million (again, in an underwhelming competitive season) and which is topped by Floyd Mayweather, who earned a staggering $300 million, click here.
Something that struck me as interesting was the fact that he earned more off the court ($26M) than on it ($24.5M). Kobe has recently spoke on his desire to continue to play in the NBA, but has to take his earning ability whether he plays or not into account when making a decision about his career beyond his current Lakers contract.
Understanding life isn’t just about piling up hundreds of millions of dollars, the fact that he’s so secure financially might lift some of the incentive to take the pounding of an NBA season.
I’m obviously not saying money is the central factor, or even that it’s a major one – only that it has to be one to a certain extent. Why continue playing and risk tarnishing your historic NBA career when you could retire and continue to compile incredible wealth with much less risk?
No matter what, though, Bryant will finish this season having earned more in contractual money than any other player in NBA history. Not bad at all for an 18-year-old who came straight out of high school.