It's no secret that Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is one of, if not, the most expensive basketball players in the world right now. With a massive $48.5 million deal in two years, getting him out of the Staples Center is a like a waste of money because of his age. Even though the idea of seeing him wear another uniform is surreal, especially for his fans, the Black Mamba is still one of the most coveted player because of his marketability. However, according to a certain NBA General manager, the five-time NBA champions has no value in the market. When asked about Kobe's value, that GM, who was not named, said with confidence that the player is worth 'zero.'
The Los Angeles-Kobe Bryant partnership has spawned to almost two decades and that is something that you don't see everyday. Kobe Bryant's value, according to his fans, is beyond the court. For many, he is already a brand of his own. However, this GM doesn't buy it.
These comments were first seen on an article published by Sports Illustrated entitled Kobe Bryant's Twilight Saga | Longform. Here's the the paragraph that features such comments.
Now, up in a sprawling eighth-floor suite with views of the Hollywood hills, Bryant continues to talk optimistically about what's to come. His confidence is as admirable as it is predictable. And yet on paper the Lakers look an awful lot like a lottery team that is overly reliant on one aging star. There is not much hope on the horizon, either. Seven months after he ruptured his left Achilles tendon -- and three weeks before he fractured his left kneecap -- Bryant signed a $48.5 million, two-year deal. The contract, widely derided as the worst in the game, makes Bryant nearly impossible to move, even were the Lakers to try. Asked about Kobe's value on the market, one GM answers definitively: "Zero. Look at that number. Who takes him?"
This is by design, of course. It ensures that Bryant accomplishes something very few pro athletes have: playing an entire career with one team. Bryant's plan is to retire in two years, though he says he reserves the right to change his mind. Thus one of the game's greatest players and one of its two fiercest competitors --Michael Jordan being the other -- will likely exit the league laboring for an undermanned squad in a stacked conference.
