1st Degree: Salary King Kobe
Last April, legendary NBA-er Kobe Bryant signed a three-year, $83.5 million extension on his contract with the LA Lakers, which meant he would be paid $108 million over four years, with $30.5 million due for the 2013-14 NBA season alone.
In 2013, Bryant will earn $371,951 per game, not including incentives or bonuses – and he will play at least 82 games. “That’s a nice chunk of change,” said BonafideSports.com website owner Hugh Lewis. “Right now he’s at the top of his game, and nobody on the court can touch him salary-wise.”
Bryant is the highest-paid NBA player this season. The second highest-paid, Orlando’s Rashard Lewis, will earn $20.5 million. With the sole exception of Michael Jordan (who earned $33.1 million in 1998), no NBA player has ever earned a fatter salary than Bryant in a single year.
2nd Degree: Marketing Maverick
As basketball royalty, Bryant gives assists to many big-name corporations, from clothing companies to soft drink kings. In 2010, in Forbes’s list of the world’s best-paid athletes, Bryant, with earnings of $48 million, ranked third behind Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.
Bryant graced the cover of Forbes back in the 90s, when he signed a six-year contract with Adidas worth about $48 million. He then signed a $40 million deal with Nike. His other deals: endorsements for the Coca-Cola Company, McDonald’s, Spalding, Upper Deck, Italian chocolate company Ferrer SpA’s brand Nutella, and the Russell Corporation.
4th Degree: Man of La Mamba
Bryant nicknamed himself the Black Mamba, after one of the world’s deadliest snakes, not exactly a kid-friendly name. His reason? “The mamba can strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession. That’s the kind of basketball precision I want to have.”
8th Degree: One Sleek Fleet
When slumming, Bryant rides in expensive cars – chic, precision instruments as fine-tuned as his jump shot.
If you peek into his garage, you will find a half-dozen of his favorite things.
#1 Range Rover: $94,000. Horsepower: 510. White Rover; pink car seat for the kid.
#2 Ferrari F430: Well over $300,000. Can hit 60 mph in under four seconds. Kobe’s comment on driving it: “It feels like you’re strapped onto a rocket.”
#3 & #4 Bentley Continental GT Coupe (MSRP $189,900) and Bentley Azure Milliner (MSRP $334,990): Who wouldn’t want book-end Bentleys?
#5 Cadillac Escalade (MSRP $63,160): When you’re cruising with six- and seven-foot high-earners, you need a XXXL SUV ensconced in luxury.
#6 1963 Chevrolet Impala ($38,995): For leisurely drives along the Pacific Coast Highway.
9th Degree: Kobe’s World
“Kobe is easily the most popular American NBA player among the Chinese,” said Tony Perkins, host of “Sports Scene,” an ESPN-style show on China Central Television (CCTV). ”He comes to China every off-season on a tour that includes visiting schools and playgrounds, and often answers questions at an auditorium session in Beijing.”
13th Degree: A Career for the Record Books
Finally, Kobe Bryant will be remembered mainly for his athletic ability. He ranks as one of the greatest basketball players in history. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 season, holds numerous scoring records, and led the LA Lakers to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010 (he holds 5 championship rings). He was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions.
He is the leading scorer in Lakers history, started in every NBA All-Star Game, and won the All-Star MVP award in 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011. He was also named NBA Player of the Decade by Sporting News and TNT.
Among his most amazing achievements: scoring 81 points in a single game, the second highest point total in NBA history. Only one NBA-er has topped that – Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points in a game in 1962. But that’s another story.
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image courtesy: GQ magazine
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