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[QUOTE="Phenomenon, post: 1298247, member: 3610"]
2011 Lakers - 30 million/year
2012 Lakers - 122 million/year

Kobe winning back-to-back championships had nothing to do with that sizeable extension?   The Lakers sold high.  Whether you want to accept it or not, it was both financially and strategically wise for the Lakers to extend Kobe.  From the financial standpoint, it fulfills any guarantees they may have made in the Time Warner contract, increases their chances of renegotiating an even higher deal during the scheduled look-in periods, and places a salable product on the floor which helps in ticket sales.

From a strategical standpoint, the Lakers were not going to be competitive in any circumstance for the following five years regardless.  Giving Kobe the excessive contract extension was meant to send a message to the 2014 free agent class that the Lakers organization takes care of their own.  There would be no Jordan to the Wizards or Montana to the Chiefs with them.  Unfortunately for them, Carmelo and LeBron didn't bite.  But it continues a long Lakers tradition of their all-time stars ([I]Kobe, Magic, Kareem, West, Baylor[/I]) being able to end their careers in LA.
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