On the heels (sorry, but that pun is just too easy) of signing a two-year, $48.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe has been taking quite a bit of flak for his "selfish" actions.
Shouldn't he have taken a pay cut because he hasn't proven himself post-Achilles injury? Is he worth that type of money? Wouldn't it help the Lakers if he'd signed for a smaller figure and given the franchise more financial flexibility for the upcoming offseason?
Well, Kobe doesn't think so:
Because his Twitter-speak is a little tough to understand, let me provide you with an English translation. Essentially, the Mamba is saying that calling him selfish is unjustified criticism because the only reason the money matters is the institution of a salary cap. And that cap is due to the NBA owners, who locked out the league for the right to implement the self-instituted cap.
In the mind of Vino, it shouldn't be his responsibility to fix the owners' problem by taking less money, especially when it's their fault that a concept like having to take less money is even considered in the first place.
Billionaires should be taking financial blows, not multimillionaires.
He continued his rant in the halls of the Verizon Center ahead of the Lakers' Tuesday game against the Washington Wizards, as reported by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
Most of us have aspirations for being businessmen when our playing careers are over. But that starts now. You have to be able to wear both hats. You can't sit up there and say, 'Well, I'm going to take substantially less because there's public pressure, because ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
