The 2000-01 Lakers entered the season as the defending NBA champions. After defeating the Indiana Pacers in the championship, the team made massive upgrades by adding to their core. That featured the addition of Horace Grant, Isaiah Rider, and Greg Foster in free agency. The Lakers entered the season as a favorite to repeat as champions and looked like champions throughout the season. The team was 31-16 at the All-Star break and then finished the regular season 56-26, winning the Pacific Division over the Sacramento Kings by one game.
- Stanislav Medvedenko – $316,969
- Mike Penberthy – $416,969
- Mark Madsen – $707,040
- Isaiah Rider – $736,000
- Devean George – $849,720
- Tyronn Lue – $865,800
- Greg Foster – $1,760,000
- Ron Harper – $2,200,000
- Brian Shaw – $2,250,000
- Derek Fisher – $3,380,000
- Rick Fox – $3,400,000
- Robert Horry – $4,800,000
- Horace Grant – $6,500,000
- Kobe Bryant – $10,130,000
- Shaquille O’Neal – $19,285,715
- Kobe Bryant And Shaquille O’Neal Combine For Half Of The Team’s Salary
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Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were All-Stars, while O’Neal was third in the MVP voting. In the playoffs, the team set an NBA record of 15-1 in the postseason, suffering one loss in the NBA Finals to the 76ers in overtime in Game 1. The record lasted 16 years before the Warriors broke the record in 2017. All in all, the Lakers were the best team in the league. Money-wise, the focus was on two stars, but those two players led the Lakers to another championship season. The investment was completely worth it.
Here are the 2000-01 salaries for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stanislav Medvedenko – $316,969
2022-23 Equivalent: $544,787
2000-01 Season Stats: 4.6 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Medvedenko was brought to the Lakers for his shooting, but he was more of a defensive player that worked hard on both sides of the floor. His NBA career was rather short, but he was a two-time champion with the Lakers. At this time, it was his rookie season, and he appeared in seven games. He made more of a contribution the following season. He was not added to the playoff roster but was given credit for winning a championship for making appearances during the regular season.
Mike Penberthy – $416,969
2022-23 Equivalent: $544,787
2000-01 Season Stats: 5.0 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Penberthy was a true Laker. After all, he played 56 games in the NBA and all of them came with the Lakers. For his career, he averaged 15.4 minutes per game and his greatest claim to fame was that he won a championship while playing for the Lakers. Out of those 56 games, 53 of those games came during the 2000-01 season, where he led the team with a 90.3% shooting clip at the free-throw line.
Mark Madsen – $707,040
2022-23 Equivalent: $1,215,218
2000-01 Season Stats: 2.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 0.4 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Madsen joined Medvedenko as the only player to make all of their three-point attempts for the season. Granted, the small quality in playing about nine minutes a game and barely shooting them is another story. Madsen was a reserve at the end of the bench, but he did make 70 appearances for the season. In the playoffs, he was able to make it into 13 games but averaged 3.7 minutes per game. Madsen is most credited for being the player that guarded Shaquille O’Neal during practice.
Isaiah Rider – $736,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $1,264,993
2000-01 Season Stats: 7.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Rider was acquired before the season began. He played in 67 games and led all bench players with 7.6 points per game. However, he was left off of the postseason roster in favor of Tyronn Lue. He was suspended during the regular season for failing to comply with the NBA’s drug policy. Rider was awarded an NBA championship ring for his contributions during the regular season. The Lakers ultimately did not re-sign him after his one season with the team.
Devean George – $849,720
2022-23 Equivalent: $1,460,448
2000-01 Season Stats: 3.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 2.0 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.1 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
George was the No. 23 overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. He was regarded for his hustle, outside shooting, and defense at the time. George played in 59 games this season and averaged 10.1 minutes per game. His shooting was fairly awful. He shot 30.9% from the field, 22.1% from three-point range, and 71.4% from the free-throw line. In the playoffs, he made appearances in seven games and averaged a dismal 3.9 minutes per game.
Tyronn Lue – $865,800
2022-23 Equivalent: $1,488,086
2000-01 Season Stats: 3.4 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 1.9 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Lue was the No. 23 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, but his rights were traded to the Lakers with Tony Battie for Nick Van Exel. Lue’s career got off to a rough start as his playing time was limited and he suffered from injuries in 2000. However, Lue is remembered for taking the place of Isaiah Rider on the postseason roster. In the 2001 playoffs, he was used to guarding Allen Iverson in the NBA Finals. While the Allen Iverson famous “stepover” moment came with Lue involved, it was Lue that played great defense in a reserve role to help the Lakers win four straight after a Game 1 loss.
Greg Foster – $1,760,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $3,024,984
2000-01 Season Stats: 2.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Foster got paid a lot to do very little. For a mid-range member of the team in terms of salary, Foster was as lackluster as it could get. He averaged 7.3 minutes per game in 62 appearances during the regular season. Foster somehow made eight starts, but his play was limited. He played in one postseason game. Luckily for him, he earned a ton of money this season compared to some of the other players and was able to win a championship ring. His career would end two years later.
Ron Harper – $2,200,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $3,781,230
2000-01 Season Stats: 6.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 2.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Years after winning three championships with the Chicago Bulls, Harper joined the Lakers to reunite with Phil Jackson during the 1999-00 season. This season would be his 15th and final season in the league. Due to injuries, he appeared in 47 games but was one of the team’s starting guards. By the end of the season, Derek Fisher took his starting spot. Harper would return for the playoffs but play in six games total. His best game came in Game 4 of the NBA Finals when he scored eight points.
Brian Shaw – $2,250,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $3,781,230
2000-01 Season Stats: 5.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 4.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Shaw was the primary backup guard for the Lakers, often substituting for Kobe Bryant. He was consistent enough to earn 28 starts during the season though as Bryant missed time to various ailments. During the regular season, he was one of two players to play in at least 80 games or more. He played a key role during the playoffs. In The playoffs, he appeared in all 16 games and averaged 18.1 minutes per game.
Derek Fisher – $3,380,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $5,809,345
2000-01 Season Stats:11.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 13.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
When the lights came on, Fisher came to play. That was proven during the playoffs when he saw his scoring output increase. His 13.4 points per game in the playoffs was the third-best among his peers. Fisher started in all 16 games during the playoffs as Harper was struggling to get back to form after suffering his injury. Fisher led the team in three-point shooting in the playoffs by shooting 51.5% from three-point range. In the regular season, his defense was equally impressive as he led the team with 1.95 steals per game.
Rick Fox – $3,400,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $5,843,720
2000-01 Season Stats: 8.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 10.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Fox was the only player on the team to play in all 82 games. He tied Horace Grant with 77 starts. His other accolades included shooting a team-best 86.7% from the free-throw line and averaging 1.94 steals in the playoffs. In the NBA Finals, Fox scored 19 points in Game 1, but the 76ers took the win thanks to 48 points from Allen Iverson. However, the Lakers won four straight games, which included the decisive Game 5, where Fox scored 20 points and hit all three of his three-point shots.
Robert Horry – $4,800,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $8,249,720
2000-01 Season Stats: 5.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 5.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.4 BPG
By this time, Horry was a three-time champion. He was made for big moments and had no problem knocking down a big shot; hence, why his nickname “Big Shot Bob” stuck to him. Horry would win seven championships during his career because he played his role very well. Horry contributed 23.9 minutes and 5.9 points during the playoffs. He backed up Horace Grant but played big minutes in the postseason because he knew how to close out games. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, he scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch three-pointer to help the Lakers pull away. Sure, the Lakers were paying about $11 million for their forward position, but they were championship players.
Horace Grant – $6,500,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $11,171,818
2000-01 Season Stats: 8.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 6.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG
The other half of that equation was Horace Grant. After winning championships with the Bulls, Grant joined the Orlando Magic and was a top-paid player for years. He would be a critical part of the Lakers for one season. He was involved in a three-way trade that involved Glen Rice going to New York and Patrick Ewing going to Seattle. Reunited with his coach Phil Jackson, Grant tied Rick Fox for the most starts (77) on the team. Grant would also start all 16 games in the playoffs and play big-time minutes to help the Lakers clinch the title.
Kobe Bryant – $10,130,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $17,410,849
2000-01 Season Stats: 28.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 29.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Was Kobe Bryant worth $10 million at this time? The question that should be asked is how much more should he be worth. In the modern era, he would have been paid about $17 million and he put up sub-MVP numbers. In the regular season, Bryant led the team with 40.9 minutes per game and nearly beat out Shaq for the most points per game. His 5.0 assists were the most on the team as well. In the playoffs, he turned it on to average a team-leading 43.4 minutes per game and 6.1 assists. He nearly joined Shaq in the 30-points-per-game club too. Altogether. Bryant had so many moments in the playoffs, including 48 points and 16 rebounds in a series-clinching win over the Kings to play as the perfect complement to his Finals MVP-winning teammate.
Shaquille O’Neal – $19,285,715
2022-23 Equivalent: $33,147,154
2000-01 Season Stats: 28.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.8 BPG
2000-01 Playoff Stats: 30.4 PPG, 15.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.4 BPG
When Shaq makes jokes about wishing he played in today’s league, he has a point. O’Neal would have been paid just over $30 million in today’s league. Think about some of the players getting paid $30 million today. O’Neal was coming off winning the 2000 MVP and then winning his second straight Finals MVP Award this season. In the Finals, O’Neal out-battled Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo. He averaged 33.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in those five games. Again, O’Neal has a point that he would have a lot more money in 2022.
Kobe Bryant And Shaquille O’Neal Combine For Half Of The Team’s Salary
Total Salary For The 2000-01 Lakers: $58,968,213
2023 Equivalent: $101,351,093
The two players who were paid more than half of the team’s salary for this season were Bryant and O’Neal. When you look at the stats, it was well deserved. In the regular season, the two players combined for 57.2 points per game. Flash forward to the playoffs, that number was just short of 60 points per game. O’Neal led the team in rebounds at 15.4, while Bryant, a guard for that matter, was second on the team with 7.3 per game. Bryant also led the team in assists. These two players had that “dog” in them that they wanted to be the best. When you are the best, you get paid like the best. Needless to say, the investment worked itself out as the team brought home another championship.
