Kobe Bryant Could Join The NBA Exodus To Turkey This Fall

Business Insider ^ | 07/08/2011 | Tony Manfred

[SeekAndFind]

We’ve seen a lot of rumors about NBA players going to play in Europe if the lockout continues into the fall. But this one beats them all.

The Turkish team, Besiktas, that reportedly signed Deron Williams now has its eyes on Kobe Bryant.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has the story:

[Beskitas coach Ergin] Ataman will travel to the United States with Besiktas management officials next week to trumpet the signing of Williams, and wants to arrange a meeting with Bryant and Bryant’s agent, Rob Pelinka, he told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday afternoon.

“After we signed Deron, we started to look around and find a friend of his, find other NBA stars, who want to come over and play with us,” Ataman told Yahoo! Sports. “If Kobe wants to play with Deron in Istanbul, we can discuss this.”

The Turkish team had a little trouble paying its players last year, so exactly where the money to sign multiple NBA players is coming from is unclear.

[SeekAndFind]

[Oldpuppymax]

There’s an NBA lockout?? Gee...am I a BIG fan.

[Beaten Valve]

I heard that KOBE might go & play in China.

Probably much bigger marketing opportinities for him there...

[longtermmemmory]

they can’t be this stupid.

if the NBA players do that, I hope they are all replaced with new players.

[GSWarrior]

Yeah and I am eyeing Kevin Durant for my rec league team, but that ain’t gonna happen either.

[MCCC]

Plenty of women to rape in Turkey....and its legal!

[Ronald_Magnus]

“I heard that KOBE might go & play in China.”

I can imagine a team there with Kobe and Yao Ming. Packed arenas and huge TV audiences no doubt.

[microgood]

I was just over in Turkey and they love the NBA over there. Soccer and Basketball are their favorite sports.

[Professional]

What else can we send to Turkey? If they are in a receiving spirit, let’s let me have it!

[jagusafr]

Yao just announced his retirement today. Not sure how that might play into the “alternate arrangements” rumor mill...

[Colonel Kangaroo]

Let's have NFL, NHL, NASCAR and baseball lockouts too. Plus big time NCAA sports. The nation needs a few months away from the bread and circuses.

And even worse, much worse, is the "entertainment" filth oozing out from Hollywood.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Plenty of women to rape in Turkey....and its legal!

Only if you’re MUSLIM !

[bjorn14]

Interesting rumor as Kobe does ads for Turkish Airlines.

[hattend]

What if there was a lockout and nobody cared?

[La Enchiladita]

The first mention of Kobe Bryant playing in Europe as a result of the lockout came back in February. When asked if he would be interested in playing in Italy, Kobe responded, "I wouldn't be opposed to it…You know how much I love Italy. I grew up there."

Now, the most recent rumor has Kobe being targeted by a Turkish team, Besiktas....Personally, I don't see Kobe Bryant playing in Turkey. In the next two years he'll be making almost 30 million per year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

...That said, like Kobe said in February, playing in Italy until the end of the lockout and maybe even convincing other stars to join him seems like a realistic possibility. Kobe grew up there, speaks Italian fluently, and his father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, played there for many years.

Who would you trust: Kobe Bryant himself or a story about a Turkish's coach interest in Kobe?

Kobe Bryant says he wouldn’t be opposed to playing in Italy