Bryant receiving $24 million advance
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was scheduled to receive a salary advance of more than $24 million Friday, according to multiple reports.
Bryant is owed $30.5 million this season. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement allows players to receive up to 80 percent of their salary upfront. Bryant's amount of $24,363,044 is 79.7 percent.
Robert Raiola, a certified public accountant who heads the sports and entertainment group at FMRTL in Cranford, N.J., told ESPN.com that as much as 55 percent of Bryant's $24.3 million advance is subject to taxes. That equates to a take-home pay of about $11 million.
Bryant's salary is the second-largest in NBA history behind Michael Jordan's $33.1 million in the 1997-98 season.
Bryant's return from an Achilles tendon tear is still unknown, but his salary is guaranteed.
