NBA -- Lakers sign Kobe to a 2-year, $48.5 million contract extension

SAN FRANCISCO -- After blowing his Achilles tendon last April, the future of 35-year Kobe Bryant as a fixture of the Los Angeles Lakers appeared seriously in doubt.

But all those doubts vanished yesterday when Bryant and the Lakers agreed to a two-year extension that will pay the superstar guard $25 million in the 2014-15 season and $23.5 million in 2015-16, ESPN Los Angeles reported.

Prior to the newly-minted deal, Kobe was playing out the last year of his previous contract, one that pays him $30.5 million for 2013-14, the highest among the elite athletes in the NBA.

Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 NBA draft and was immediately traded to the Lakers. He is a one-time MVP and a five-time NBA champion. Kobe is an All-Star in 15 of his 17 NBA seasons.

"This is a very happy day for Lakers fans and the Lakers organization. We said all along our priorities and hope was to have Kobe finish his career as a Lakers, and this should ensure that that happens," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. (JSM)

Photo: Kobe Bryant has plenty of reasons to smile after the Lakers inked him to a 2-year contract extension.