It’s payday for Kobe Bryant.
The injured Lakers superstar Friday will receive a check from the team for $24,363,044, the LA Times reported.
That’s right. $24 MILLION!
As part of the $30.4 million contract he personally negotiated, Bryant opted to receive 80 percent of it in one lump sum. The remaining $6 million will be paid out over the rest of the season.
Bryant hasn’t played in the first two games of the Lakers’ season as he continues to rehab his surgically-repaired Achilles’ tendon tear. There is no firm timeline for his return.
Of course, Bryant won’t take home $24 million Friday as he could have to pay as much as 55 percent taxes, according to ESPN. Still, he will net somewhere around $11 million.
Bryant is the highest-paid player in the NBA, according to HoopsHype.com. In fact, it isn’t close. Number two is the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki at $22,721,381, a difference of nearly $8 million from Bryant.
Kobe’s buying.