One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Lakers Sign Kobe Bryant to Contract Extension
Kobe Bryant is a happy man. AP Photo/Mark Weber
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak announced this afternoon that the Lakers and Kobe Bryant have agreed to a three-year contract extension which will keep him with the purple and gold until the 2013-2014 season when he will be 35. While the exact terms of the contract haven't been released, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports the extension could be worth $90 million."We are extremely pleased that we were able to reach an agreement and come to terms on the extension at this time," said Kupchak in the press release. And good thing too because the mumblings of Kobe teaming up with LeBron James to go to the New York Knicks were just starting up.
The 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and 2009 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player is the Lakers all time leading scorer and has won four NBA titles with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2009. Kobe also was on the gold medal winning Team USA in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
With Pau Gasol also signing a contract extension earlier in the season and Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom in place for the next several years, this will for better or worse cement the Lakers team in the coming years. Now to get down to business of defending their title.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
