Kobe responds to critics of his contract extension on twitter
Kobe Bryant's usually pretty well-spoken when it comes to discussing the financial aspects of professional sports.
But following the Lakers' loss to the Wizards on Monday night, Bryant took to Twitter for a bizarre rant on the NBA's rules regarding salary caps. The five-time champion doesn't seem too happy with those who are critical of how he'll consume more than a third of the Lakers' salary cap in the next two seasons.
The cap rules players have to be "selfless" on To "help" BILLIONAIRE owners R the same cap rules the owners LOCKED US out to put in #think
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Don't just learn ur sport .. Learn the sports industry #futureathletes
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Btw lakers have max cap space and then some #mitchissharp #bussfamsharp #lakers
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports posted the following quotes from Kobe:
"Most of us have aspirations for being businessmen when our playing careers are over," Bryant told Yahoo Sports in a corridor of the Verizon Center. "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 all of a sudden, if you don't take less, you don't give a crap about winning. That's total bull----.
"I'm very fortunate to be with an organization that understands how to take care of its players, and put a great team out on the floor. They've figured out how to do both.
"Most players in this league don't have that. They get stuck in a predicament – probably intentionally done by the teams – to force them to take less money. Meanwhile, the value of the organization goes through the roof off the backs of their quote, unquote selfless players.
"It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."