Friday, April 2nd, 2010 at 5:00 pm  |  31 responses

Lakers Sign Kobe Bryant to 3-Year Extension

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Back in December, the Lakers gave Pau Gasol a three-year extension to keep the supremely talented big in L.A. through the 2013-14 season. Today, they announced that Kobe Bryant will remain a Laker for at least the same amount of time.

Bryant’s deal is reportedly worth close to $90 million (making him the League`s highest paid player), and GM Mitch Kupchak says the team is extremely pleased with it. I’ll bet they are.

Here are Mitch’s comments on the deal, via the team’s official website:

“We are extremely pleased that we were able to reach an agreement and come to terms on the extension at this time,” said Kupchak. “Kobe has been a cornerstone of the Lakers for well over a decade, helping to lead us to four NBA Championships and in the process developing into one of the greatest players in basketball history.”

“Two of our main goals heading into this season were to sign Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to contract extensions,” continued Kupchak. “With the signing of Pau earlier this season and the signing of Kobe today, we were able to accomplish those goals, helping to keep the core of this team intact for the foreseeable future and in turn help to ensure the franchise’s continued success over the years to come.”

The team`s core — Bryant, Gasol, Artest, Odom, Bynum — is set for the long-term. Now, they just gotta figure out what to do about their coaching and point guard situations going forward …

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  • Blanco Posted: Apr.2 at 5:09 pm
    Wait!!! wasnt him on the KNICKS`radar too??? hahahahahah So so sad!

  • Farman Posted: Apr.2 at 5:23 pm
    That’s why Lebron needs to stay in Cleveland. 90 million for 3 years. Bird rights!!!

  • jones farmer man Posted: Apr.2 at 5:29 pm
    Will Kobe even play for three more years? I don’t know if the non-stop basketball for the past 2 years has caught up with him or he just got old all of a sudden, but there has been startling drop in his athletic ability this year. Also not seeing a lot of the post game that was so hyped for the first quarter or so of the season. He needs to go back to that so that he can dominate games in the playoffs. The West is still the toughest conference by a distance and the only way this team goes deep is by Kobe dominating some games. Their chances are not looking good. Meanwhile in the East, with Boston aging by the minute, its a throwup between Cle and Orl(not really, the Cavs got that, but that’s their main comp unless something goes very wrong).

  • Earl Posted: Apr.2 at 5:30 pm
    Good Move Kobe! He’s the man, isn’t he folks?

  • jones farmer man Posted: Apr.2 at 5:34 pm
    As for the PG situation, the Lakers need some SERIOUS help. Look at the PGs in the West- Billups, JKidd, Westbrook, Parker, Nash etc. All of them drive and all of them score. The Lakers D suffers a lot due to guards getting by their defenders (yeah, Kobe gets beat a lot too) and then getting it to the open man or getting the big men in foul trouble (Bynum). It’ll take some real wheeling and dealing or a huge stroke of luck(Gasol part 2??) for the Lakers to land a top notch PG, which is their real shortcoming (with the crap bench running a close second). I just feel that with Ron, this team got old QUICK. Young legs can still hustle. Experience doesn’t count for s**t when your man is running circles around you.

  • Bryan Posted: Apr.2 at 5:35 pm
    A point guard away from being a dynasty.

  • The Philosopher Posted: Apr.2 at 6:03 pm
    Shout out to Mark McNamara.

  • nastierthanu2 Posted: Apr.2 at 6:05 pm
    They pg problems will work themselves out. When you have a squad with that type of nucleus and history, they can lure many ballers to Hollywood.

  • The Seed Posted: Apr.2 at 6:39 pm
    Kobe should have waited to see if Gasol and Artest come through in this playoffs. If not then should have went to the Clippers to win a title for the step child LA. KOBE IS THE BEST!!!

  • LA Huey Posted: Apr.2 at 6:47 pm
    Wow…Bird Rights ftw! No way the owners keep that in the new CBA. No player in the league worth $30 mil/yr.

  • Anton Posted: Apr.2 at 6:55 pm
    That’s like 90 diamong rings…SCORE!

  • BossTerry Posted: Apr.2 at 6:57 pm
    surprise surprise… Remember a few years ago he threatened to join the Clippers if he didnt get what he wanted?? As for the point guard discussion, pgs are a dime a dozen in todays nba, they could pick almost any, and he would become successful due to the surrounding talent.. Just ask Rondo.

  • The Philosopher Posted: Apr.2 at 7:46 pm
    It must be nice.

  • Shem Posted: Apr.2 at 8:19 pm
    Co-sign Boss Terry, this upcoming NBA draft is absolutely filled with point guards. Fish, Farmar and Brown aren’t the worst in the league but definetly not championship team guards. But they make up for it in every position. Say the Lakers get the 30th pick this draft (I think they’ll win this year) they can still get a decent guard. Rondo was picked 21st overall and now he’s a top 10 guard if not top 5. (I realize that if him and D rose switched teams he definetly wouldn’t be half as good as we believe but you can’t base your opinions on if)

  • Cheryl Posted: Apr.2 at 8:33 pm
    I’m glad for him. I like seeing players stay with one team throughout their careers. I hope LeBron, Dwyane, Dwight, and Dirk do the same.

  • Anton Posted: Apr.2 at 8:35 pm
    ^The Charlotte Hornets would like a word with you regarding the 1996 draft

  • socal.s Posted: Apr.2 at 8:48 pm
    ^He never played a game for them…..

  • JL Posted: Apr.2 at 9:02 pm
    wow 90 mil is just too much even for kobe. lebron maybe, but not kobe.

  • tomtom Posted: Apr.2 at 9:03 pm
    @Anton. he has never PLAYED for any other team, i think that makes him a laker-for-life. Atleast for now. lol. I think when he reeeally starts losing some of his effectivness you may see him jump on a team with a dominant big man for ring boostage or stay with LA if Bynum turns out to be the real deal…

  • JL Posted: Apr.2 at 9:04 pm
    actually, he is going to be one hell of an expiring contract at the end of his contract! it’s brilliant! and the lakers get the last of his better (already non peak) years.

  • The Philosopher Posted: Apr.2 at 11:21 pm
    Shout out to Trevor Wilson.

  • Groves.is@UWA Posted: Apr.3 at 12:16 am
    @jones farmer. umm and chris paul, deron Williams, evans, curry, brooks you know, 5 other awesome point guards

  • Groves.is@UWA Posted: Apr.3 at 12:16 am
    @jones farmer. umm and chris paul, deron Williams, evans, curry, brooks you know, 5 other awesome point guards

  • Boy Sanchez Posted: Apr.3 at 6:36 am
    It’s hard to imagine Kobe wearing other colors than yellow and purple, but I would like to see that… At least, I would like to hear rumors and stuff like that at the end of the season, just like the LBJ-Knicks thing! Anyway, he seems to be in the right place. He will continue playing at the highest level for the next 3 years, but Fisher won’t. They do need a good point guard.

  • BossTerry Posted: Apr.3 at 10:44 am
    shout out to- “insert name nobody’s ever heard of here”.

  • T-Money Posted: Apr.3 at 12:41 pm
    LA Huey: Actually players like Kobe and Lebron are worth much more than 30 mil a year. The Cavs’ value more than doubled since they drafted Bron.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Apr.3 at 4:12 pm
    David Lee just had 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists last night against the Warriors… in a loss. Monster triple double.

  • BackInBlack Posted: Apr.3 at 7:41 pm
    he should of been traded to the bulls a couple of years back

  • nastierthanu Posted: Apr.4 at 8:03 am
    @bossterry if u know the game u remember the shout out ballers. This just in chris childs just called kobe for a loan.

  • barnabusb Posted: Apr.4 at 8:44 am
    Shout out to not doing a dumb shout out any more.

  • Coney Islander Posted: Apr.5 at 7:55 am
    Cha-ching!

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