ESPN: A NBA memo obtained by ESPN.com provides specifics of the three-year extension Kobe Bryant signed with the Los Angeles Lakers last week.
The deal, which had been rumored to be worth close to $90 million, will actually pay Bryant $83.5 million. It is a back-loaded deal, with Bryant set to earn $25.2 million in 2011-12, $27.8 million in 2012-13 and $30.4 million in 2013-14, according to the memo.
Bryant’s salary in 2013-14 is significant because it will make him the first player since Michael Jordan in 1996-97 and 1997-98 to be paid more than $30 million in a season. The Bulls paid Jordan $30.1 and $33.1 million for his last two seasons in Chicago.
The contract also includes an unspecified trade bonus should Bryant be dealt to another team, but Bryant would have to approve any trade proposal before it became official. As a carry-over condition from Bryant’s previous contract, he remains the only player in the NBA with a no-trade clause.
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