Kobe Playing in Europe?

Posted by J R Stewart on August 15, 2008

‘Kobe Cashing In?’ (AP)

What interesting news!

Kobe will probably opt out of his contract with The Hated Lakers at the end of this season, like Brand and The Barron did this year. He likes The King James’ version of a $50 million contract in Europe, preferably Italy, where he grew up, perhaps combined with part ownership.

WOW! We’d be stunned to see you go, but, my first reaction is, don’t let the door hit you on your way out. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Kobe hater, but I love to watch him play, and do consider him the best player in the world right now. It’s just his personality and behavior, which I find offensive. However, greed is what it is, and Kobe’s ego is what it is.

How could this go down? Since I’m on Social Security myself, I’m not sure what the tax bracket for $50 million would be. I can’t even imagine! With Fed, State, local, FICA etc, it must be at least 40%. As I understand it, there would be no income tax, if he played in Europe. If that were true, that would mean a $30 million contract in Europe would be about the same as $50 million in the US. MJ got that a few years ago in Chicago, so it’s not unreasonable to think about. But, it gets better. The Euro is inflated to currently about 1 and a half times the value of the dollar. A $30 million contract is only 20 million Euros. Add to that a minority ownership in the team, and maybe you can decrease the Euros even further. Also, they would be adding a very prominent spokesman to the organization (a la Magic Johnson with the Lakers + minority ownership) as well as the best player in the world (a la David Beckham in LA).

He would earn $23 million from The Hated Lakers, if he didn’t opt out. That would be about $14 million after taxes, if the 40% for all his combined taxes were true. So, as a prior NBA thug, Latrell Spreewell, pointed out, he might just be able to “feed his family” with a $36 million pay raise. It would be hard, but if he were to shop at the Wal-Mart, The Dollar Store and D. I., it is amazing how far $50 million could go.

The best thing that could come from this is that, The Hated Lakers would match his European salary and pay dollar for dollar in luxury tax to the small market teams. This might require a special dispensation from Pope Stern, as to matching a Euro team proposal, vs another NBA team’s proposal. The Hated Lakers could become the NY Knicks West, subsidizing the small market teams bottom line with luxury taxes.

Larry has only been home a day or two, but I can just see his eyes spinning like the reels of an old fashion slot machine. When they finally stop, two big “$” “$” signs pop up, like a cartoon character, and Gayle yells, JACKPOT!!!!

Jazzaholic

4 Comments

J R Stewart on August 15, 2008 said:

Look at Kobe, rubbing his hands together, just thinking about that $50 million.

Now I read Dan Dickau gets a furnished apartment and the use of a car!

Hey! I’ll go, and they don’t even have to pay me the $50 million.

Also, Starbury is planning to go to Milan after this year. He could renounce his contract, a la Fish, with the Jazz, and leave the $21 million on the table, then start his dream a year early, but I think he’ll settle for bench time, creating more bad memories and sucking the lifeblood out of the Knicks.

Jazzaholic

Logan on August 23, 2008 said:

So the bloggers of an official Utah Jazz website love to attack other teams and their players for things they’ve been found innocent of, for their confidence, and for how they walk? Not only that, you don’t even know your facts. Micheal Jordan never made $50 million in one season. Look it up. His last season with the Bulls he earned just over $35 million a year. Still, nothing to shake a stick at.

I only come to this site as it’s one of the few team-related blog sites that is covering bits of the Olympics. I mean, the Jazz did get spoiled by getting it’s two best players on the 12 man roster (no other team has 2 players on that roster), and I believe is possibly the only team also with THREE players in the Olympics.

However, all you guys do here is pretty much similar to what you do during the season. Bitch and moan about how much better D-Will and Boozer don’t play enough and should because their better than every other player on the roster. D-Will is a good talent, but he is no CP3, and even at his best he’ll never be as good as Kidd once was. And I won’t even go into Boozer. He’s too easy.

Try to clean up the act here, lest your website get shut down for your innappropiate comments towards other players, like Kobe; or teams, like the Laker (hey, it isn’t LA’s fault that they’ve been whipping you for the past 10 years in the playoffs. Nor is it all of California’s fault, if you include Sacramento. Just, luck of the draw, and well… SLC sucks. Nobody willing ever comes to Utah to play basketball.

Johnathan Kendrick on August 23, 2008 said:

Logan,

So you noticed everything isn’t perfect here. I guess our secret is now out.

Now it’s odd that you would start off your post by criticizing this site for ripping on others and ended with an attack of your own. Nice.

r.gar on August 27, 2008 said:

An offer like that like that would only leave him in the same situation that he’s already got in L.A., a team with one grossly overpaid star that has to carry a squad of middle-aged former hopefuls and confused rookies who’s mindset is “Just get the ball to Kobe !”

I guess at least he’ll be back to his childhood stomping grounds, right ?

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