Kobe Bryant says signing his extension was ‘easy’

Kobe Bryant said that he wouldn’t take a pay cut for the Lakers, and he was sort of right. Although he won’t match the 30 million dollars he made this season, Bryant will end his career as the highest paid player in the NBA. In case you were under a rock all day and didn’t hear, Bryant signed a 2 year contract extension for 48.5 million dollars, and he will end his career with 20 years in a Laker uniform.

Bryant told Yahoo Sports that this was a no-brainer:

"“This was easy,” Bryant told Yahoo Sports on Monday night. “This wasn’t a negotiation. The Lakers made their offer with cap and building a great team in mind while still taking care of me as a player.“I simply agreed to the offer.”Until the hours before the Lakers’ meeting with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, that’s all Bryant would say about the contract extension. He is 35 years old, working his way back from a torn Achilles and the Buss family is still betting Bryant is the best free-agent star available on the market, betting that Bryant can still drive ticket sales and TV ratings and make these Lakers relevant again.“This was easy,” Bryant told Yahoo Sports on Monday night. “This wasn’t a negotiation. The Lakers made their offer with cap and building a great team in mind while still taking care of me as a player.“I simply agreed to the offer.”Until the hours before the Lakers’ meeting with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, that’s all Bryant would say about the contract extension. He is 35 years old, working his way back from a torn Achilles and the Buss family is still betting Bryant is the best free-agent star available on the market, betting that Bryant can still drive ticket sales and TV ratings and make these Lakers relevant again."

This made sense for both sides, and it shows that the Lakers are committed to their star. They will make a lot of money off of Bryant, and they still leave themselves with enough cap space to sign another good player, and they still have options. It sounds like the Lakers were the aggressor in this situation.

Bryant has yet to play this season as he recovers from his Achilles injury. Should he have taken less money? You go tell your boss that you want less money so they can have a better chance of increasing the workplace.