Bloody Contract: The cruel truth behind Kobe and the Lakers mutual achievements

The devil clause behind the Dingxin.

·1, 240 million US dollars to buy out career. In November 2013, the Lakers offered 34-year-old Kobe with a ruptured Achilles tendon to renew his contract for two years and $48.5 million, and the league was in an uproar. This seemingly "repaying favor" contract actually hides a triple exchange of interests: a box office betting agreement. The contract stipulates that Kobe must attend 60% of home events, and his commercial event appearance fee accounted for 23% of the Lakers' total revenue in 2014. Staples Center attendance rate plummeted from 87% of Kobe's reimbursement season to 72%, and rebounded to 94% after renewal.

Retired tour bundled. The Lakers asked Kobe to announce his retirement time 18 months in advance to ensure that the number of live broadcasts across the United States increased by 27 games in the 2015-16 season, and the average ticket price for his retirement battle was priced at US$48,000. The Lakers' single-game ticket revenue exceeded the total image rights of 10 games in the regular season. Additional terms of the contract: Within five years after Kobe retires, the Lakers have the right to use his image for commercial development.

The 2020 Lakers Championship Celebration played Kobe's highlights, driving the official mall sales to soar by $43 million in a single day. When Kobe signed a contract extension with a crutch, ESPN reporter Windhorst bluntly said: This is the smartest commercial kidnapping in the history of professional sports.

·2. D'Antoni's powerless cry: the fire of rest that was extinguished by the management. In April 2013, the meeting minutes of the Lakers coaching staff and the medical team showed that D'Antoni suggested that Kobe take a turn for three times:

→1. On March 28, 2013, the medical report pointed out that Kobe had a contusion in his left tibia and was recommended to have a quit for at least two weeks. The management refused Kobe to return with injury on the grounds that he "did 1.5 wins behind the Jazz".

→2. On April 10, 2013, the team doctor diagnosed Kobe's right ankle effusion, and D'Antoni proposed a recession in the last three regular season games. The Bass family directly intervened: the playoff spot must be retained, which is a commitment to sponsors.

→3. On April 12, 2013 (the eve of the Achilles tendon rupture), Kobe's ice application time lasted for 3 hours after training, and D'Antoni applied to limit his playing time to 32 minutes. General Manager Kupchek rejected: "Fans bought tickets to watch Kobe play for 48 minutes ". In the end, Kobe ruptured his Achilles tendon against the Warriors on April 12, 2013. He averaged 45.2 minutes per game that season, making him the best player over the age of 35 in history.

·3. Injury chain reaction: the path to destruction from Achilles tendon to rotator cuff. Achilles tendon rupture is not the end point, but the starting point for the Lakers to continue overdrawing Kobe:

→1. The knee injury recurred in 2014. The medical team concealed the degree of cartilage wear on the left knee and urged him to come back early to save the ratings. After returning to 6 games, the right shoulder spiral muscle tear was reimbursed for the season.

→2. In 2015, right shoulder surgery, the Lakers team doctor recommended conservative treatment. Kobe insisted on surgery: "They also want me to play with a bandage" and the surgery caused his back-to-body singles ability to hit the hit rate plummeted to 37%.

→3. During the 2016 retired tour, Kobe was forced to play 66 games with a ruptured right finger tendon and other injuries. Before the curtain call, he injected a double dose of painkiller and immediately took a knee fluid after the game.

Lakers doctor Steve Lombardo admitted in an interview in 2020: We know that Kobe's injury is irreversible, but the business value is prioritized by the junior doctor.

·4. Invisible exploitation after retirement: the business empire behind the No. 24 jersey. After Kobe's death, the Lakers' use of his legacy reached a new level:

→1. Virtual Kobe plan, the 2020 championship celebration uses holographic projection "Resurrection "Bryant, with a technical cost of 4.6 million US dollars, driving the sponsor's return on investment exceeding 900%. His virtual image appeared in the 2021 preseason promotional video, and no copyright fee was paid to Kobe's widow.

→2. Memorial Hall economy, Surgeon Kobe murals in Staples Center have become paid check-in points, and the ticket revenue sharing is not written into the estate agreement. The Lakers official mall "Black Mamba Series" products, with only 3% of the annual sales of US$120 million belonging to the Kobe Fund.

→3. The spiritual heritage monopolizes the Lakers registration "Mamba Spirit " trademark, and players are prohibited from launching related theme products in individuals. Tatum was warned by the league for wearing custom-made "Mamba" arm guards, but in fact, the Lakers management put pressure on it.

·5. Controlled experiment: Another possibility for Duncan and Nowitzki, both are superstars of one person and one city. The Spurs and Mavericks show completely different protection philosophy:

→1. After Duncan's pension contract, after the knee cartilage deteriorated in 2012, Popovich compressed his average time to 28 minutes. The Spurs would rather give up the first place in the Western Conference than ensure Duncan retires healthily.

→2. Nowitzki's decent farewell, Cuban took the initiative to give a "feeling contract" of $25 million, and promised "you can fight as long as you want" and only played symbolically for 2 minutes to avoid the risk of injury in the 2019 retirement battle.

→3. The Lakers' choice paradox, Kobe's medical expenses accounted for only 1.3% of the team's total budget in the last three seasons, far lower than the Spurs' 4.7% against Duncan. The Lakers history documentary deliberately downplays the management's medical dereliction of duty and strengthens the tragic narrative of "Bryant's voluntary burning".

Conclusion: A cruel and romanticized transaction. When James broke the scoring record in 2023, Staples Center played a video of Kobe congratulations on the big screen - this shot that never agreed to during his lifetime became the latest link in the Lakers' business chain. Kobe's reputation for "one person, one city" at the cost of rupture of the Achilles tendon is essentially a chronic bloodletting that lasts for 20 years.

The Lakers did give Kobe a maximum salary and honor, but also sucked away his last drop of commercial value. From combat with injuries to virtual resurrection, from Mamba trademark to heritage division, this "lifelong prisoner" wearing a purple gold battle robe failed to break free from Bass's golden cage until his life ended.. Perhaps as O'Neal said: In the Lakers Legend is just a number on the financial statements.