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| Kobe experience Europe |
NBA superstar Kobe Bryant said he was still pondering Besiktas’s offer
to sign him during the ongoing NBA lockout. stating his like of Turkish
basketball. The 32-year-old, who is arguably the best basketball player
in the world had earlier stated that playing overseas during the NBA
lockout could be exciting.
Virtus Bologna has made numerous contract offers to the Los Angeles Lakers
star. Bryant discussed the offer with the Gazzetta dello Sport during a
sponsor’s appearance in Milan on Wednesday. “It’s very possible. It would be a dream for me,” Bryant said, according
to the Gazzetta. “There’s an opportunity that we’ve been discussing over the
last few days. It’s very possible and that’s good news for me.”
Bryant later spoke to a crowd—in Italian—at the event in Milan. “I don’t know what’s going to happen over the next three or four weeks, but
Italy has always been in my heart,” Bryant said. Virtus told The Associated Press that the latest talks are centered on a
$2.5 million offer for 10 games over 40 days from Oct. 9 to Nov. 16. That would
come out to about $1.5 million after taxes. The deal would allow Bryant to return to the Lakers immediately if the
lockout ends. The 33-year-old Bryant spent several years in Italy when his father, Joe
Bryant, played on five teams from 1984-91. The elder Bryant, who once owned a
small part of Olimpia Milano, now coaches the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. “Italy is my home. It’s where my dream of playing in the NBA started. This
is where I learned the fundamentals, learned to shoot, to pass and to (move)
without the ball,” Kobe Bryant said, according to the Gazzetta. “All things
that when I came back to America the players my age didn’t know how to do
because they were only thinking about jumping and dunking.” Turkish club Besiktas and at least one team in China have expressed interest
in Bryant, a winner of five NBA championships and 13-time All-Star. However, he
seems most interested in the Virtus offer. “It’s a huge honor for me to return to Italy. It’s home for me,” Bryant
said in fairly fluent Italian in a video posted on the Gazzetta website. “It’s
always been a dream for me to play in Italy. We’ve got to wait and see what
happens.” Virtus also recently reached out to Manu Ginobili, who played with Bologna
before joining the San Antonio Spurs in 2002. Denver Nuggets forward Danilo
Gallinari rejoined his former Italian club Olimpia Milano last week. The NBA season usually begins in late October, but owners and players have
failed to agree on a new labor deal. The two sides are at odds over how to
divide the league’s revenue, a salary cap structure and the length of guaranteed
contracts. Last week, NBA officials announced the postponement of training camp and the
cancellation of 43 preseason games. Virtus has won 15 Italian league titles but none since 2001, when it also
won the Euroleague for the second time. Bologna opens the Italian league against Roma on Oct. 9. It did not qualify
for this season’s Euroleague, although the team has big ambitions after signing
former Clemson point guard Terrell McIntyre, who led Siena to four consecutive
Italian titles before transferring to Malaga in Spain last season. Recently, the team also signed former Milwaukee Bucks Guard Chris Douglas-Roberts.
(5) Reasons why or why not he should take the offer
PROS:
1. Experience playing in Italy where he grew up
2. Virtus Bologna is a contender
3. Playing time is not a question
4. Cash is good. $740K per home game is real cash considering Kobe earned $302,515 per game last season with the Lakers.
5. Flexibility of his playing duration is on his hands.
CONS:
1. Injury Risk
2. Does he need cash? naahhh.
3. His Obligation as a Laker. Team first before oneself.
4. His Obligation as an NBA Player. His image as a player playing not for cash but for the love of the game.
5. Don't think he can make a big impact playing in short term basis
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