Kobe Bryant’s most recent contract extension has been a hot topic around the NBA. Most think Kobe should have taken less money to help build up the roster around him so the Lakers could get out of the bottom of the West and make a run at the title. When asked about his contract and how it compares to Tim Duncan’s team friendly contract, Kobe didn’t seem to show much regret for taken the money.
“It’s a different market, man,” Bryant said. “San Antonio’s not doing $2 billion TV deals – or $5 billion – so it’s a different market. Even with my deal, you have a significant amount of cap space available. But I think the advantage that they’ve had, and that (Duncan) has had and been very fortunate with, is they’ve had the same guys since he’s been there. That really helps.
“You’ve got Manu there. You’ve got Tony there. Those guys have been through the ups and downs and they have that familiarity, and then they build with pieces around that. The same coach. The same system. Here, I’ve had to go through so many different coaches, so many different systems, it’s crazy. But I love watching (Duncan). What they’ve been able to do is something else.”
I can’t blame athletes for taking the money these days, but with the direction the Lakers are heading and Kobe not getting any younger, I am a bit surprised he didn’t take a little less money. You would figure at this stage in the game it’s not about money for someone like Kobe, but obviously as long as he can play, he will continue to cash those very large checks courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers.