When it was announced that Kobe Bryant signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Lakers fans around the world rejoiced. Despite not having seen him play since he tore his Achilles tendon in April, they couldn’t fathom the idea of losing the superstar they’ve known for two decades.
Then they heard about the size of the contract, and all hell seemed to break loose on twitter.
“He has no interest in winning if that’s what he’s asking for from the team.”
“Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan took significant pay cuts to help their respective teams. Why can’t Kobe do the same?”
“What were the Lakers thinking?”
“@#$@#$@#”
Simply put, not many agreed with the idea of handing a $48.5 million contract to a 35-year-old coming off a devastating injury, even if his name is Kobe Bryant.
After hearing plenty of backlash, the guard stayed silent no more.
The cap rules players have to be “selfless” on To “help” BILLIONAIRE owners R the same cap rules the owners LOCKED US out to put in #think
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Don’t just learn ur sport .. Learn the sports industry #futureathletes
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Btw lakers have max cap space and then some #mitchissharp #bussfamsharp #lakers
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Soon after, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports further detailed Bryant’s state of mind about the situation and why he wouldn’t take a pay cut:
“Most of us have aspirations for being businessmen when our playing careers are over,” Bryant told Yahoo Sports in a corridor of the Verizon Center. “But that starts now. You have to be able to wear both hats. You can’t sit up there and say, ‘Well, I’m going to take substantially less because there’s public pressure, because all of a sudden, if you don’t take less, you don’t give a crap about winning. That’s total [expletive].
“I’m very fortunate to be with an organization that understands how to take care of its players, and put a great team out on the floor. They’ve figured out how to do both.
“Most players in this league don’t have that. They get stuck in a predicament – probably intentionally done by the teams – to force them to take less money. Meanwhile, the value of the organization goes through the roof off the backs of their quote, unquote selfless players.
“It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Between a news conference and the next steps in his rehab on Tuesday night, Kobe Bryant was still raging over the response to his contract extension. This wasn’t a noble gesture to awaken his peers, but simply a visceral reaction to the way the NBA has slowly, surely eroded the superstar’s standing in the sport – and the way the players have allowed it to happen.
“Bull—-,” Kobe Bryant finally again said on his way back to the locker room. “Pure bull—-.”
Your move, twitter.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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