Lakers to Pay Kobe Bryant $24 Million Today


As part of his rare balloon payment arrangement, Kobe Bryant will get a very large deposit in his bank account on Friday. The Los Angeles Lakers will wire their superstar guard $24,363,044. Per the LA Times: “Bryant’s salary for the entire season is $30,453,805 — the remaining $6.1 million will be paid out over the course of the season. While there’s a limit to how much a player can receive in advance, Bryant is right at that 80% maximum. Meanwhile, there’s still no firm timeline for his return to the court from his Achilles’ tendon tear. Bryant was injured in an April 12 win over Golden State and underwent surgery less than 12 hours later. The team projected that Bryant would be out for six to nine months. Without him, the Lakers are 1-1 on the season after a big opening-night win over the Clippers — and an even bigger second-night flop against the Warriors. The Lakers have every intention of re-signing Bryant beyond his current contract, which expires June 30. The bigger question is — for how much? The team can give him an extension before July starting as low as $1.4 million and up to $32.7 million. The more the Lakers commit to Bryant, the less they can spend in free agency next summer.”