Fansided

Kobe Bryant knows superstars don’t want to sign with Lakers

By Will Osgood

Jan 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) with head coach Byron Scott against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 96-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) with head coach Byron Scott against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 96-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kobe Bryant: “Players aren’t going to leave millions and millions of dollars on the table to come here and play.”

As he moves ever closer to retirement, off-the-court interests and ventures are beginning to take precedent for the future Hall-of Fame-guard of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant.

In a not-so-exclusive sit down interview with USA Today’s Sam Amick, Bryant opened up about some of the topics he never would have in the past. In addition to Amick’s interview, he also spoke with GQ, Grantland and Jimmy Kimmel, to name a few.

All of the hoopla immediately preceded his personal documentary which debuts Saturday on Showtime.

No topic was off limits for Bryant—who has rather uniquely only played for one professional team: the Los Angeles Lakers. By default, or perhaps by some crafty maneuvering (given that Bryant reeks of someone who is OCD, detail-oriented and flat cold-blooded), Bryant has become the face of the Los Angeles Lakers over the last decade, filling the gap left when former teammate Shaquille O’Neal and he could supposedly not get along, forcing the team to make a decision as to which to keep.

The Lakers chose the younger guard, which seemed a bit questionable at the time, given that Shaq was still at the height of his powers as an NBA center, and Bryant was already beginning to develop a reputation as a selfish, me-first type player—a black hole even on teams with other uniquely talented players.

But given his history with the team, and their current predicament among a league more popular than ever, giving indications that with the recently extended television contracts the yearly salary cap could increase by about $20 million in one year, and at some point reach about $90 million (that’s for a sport, where teams possess no more than 15 players on their roster), Bryant had some thoughts about why the Lakers are no longer a premiere destination for NBA free agents.

“Players aren’t going to leave millions and millions of dollars on the table twice to come here and play. It’s just not realistic. Wanting LeBron (James) to come here and take a massive pay cut again (last summer), after taking a big one to go to Miami, is not realistic. Melo (Carmelo Anthony) leaving $15-20 million on the table to come here is not realistic. So we have certain restrictions, but we’ll figure it out.”

It’s interesting he says “we.” Bryant last week admitted that he’s likely to finish out his current contract which runs through 2015-16 and then bow out to retirement.

But he is the face of the Lakers, and a fierce competitor, so the 36-year-old Bryant is going to go down swinging.

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