LOS ANGELES, CA – February 13: Spencer Dinwiddie #26 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Detroit Pistons on February 13, 2024 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
The newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers is hoping his new team can lift the Larry O'Brien trophy and win the NBA Championship come June.
If the Lakers are able to win the title, not only will they surpass the Boston Celtics for the most championships in NBA history, but it would cash-in a bonus in one player's contract.
Spence Dinwiddie, who signed with the Lakers on Saturday after he was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors, and then subsequently waived, has a unique clause in his contract that would earn him a bonus of one dollar if the Lakers were to win the NBA title.
Dinwiddie signed with the Lakers for $1.5 million for the remainder of the season. The remainder of the nearly $19 million he's owed this season will be paid for by the Raptors after they agreed to a contract buyout last week.
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It was only after Dinwiddie signed with the Lakers that we learned about the interesting and hilarious contract incentive. As previously mentioned, if the Lakers win the NBA championship this season, Dinwiddie will earn a bonus of exactly one dollar, four quarters, 10 dimes, or 100 pennies.
ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin asked Dinwiddie about the unusual incentive during the point guard's first practice session with the team on Monday.
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As you can see in the clip, Dinwiddie says that his contract bonus if the Lakers win the championship stems from an inside joke between he and his agent when he signed with the Washington Wizards before the 2021 season. The Wizards last won the championship in 1978 and haven't made the playoffs the last two seasons.
Reportedly, Dinwiddie and his agent have added the unusual incentive to each of his contracts ever since.
Unusual contract provisions are nothing new in sports. Teams often add performance bonuses or stipulations based on certain benchmarks. Often times, teams will also exclude certain activities like riding motorcycles or flying planes to limit the risk for injury.
Professional soccer player Stefan Schwarz, who played in the English Premier League, had a clause in his contract that would not allow him to go to space.
Michael Jordan famously had a "for the love of the game" clause in his rookie contract with the Chicago Bulls, allowing him to play pick-up basketball at anytime he wanted.
Former Dodgers' outfielder Manny Ramirez had an "unlimited free sushi" incentive in his contract when he signed with the Kochi Island Fighting Dogs in December 2016 in Japan.
Dinwiddie made his Lakers' debut on Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons and scored his first basket late in the third quarter. Here's hoping he will become one-dollar richer come June.
