West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: Now_Im_Not_Banned on August 08, 2008, 12:11:13 PM
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I highly doubt it'd happen, but it'd be a damn shame if it did...
Kobe to Italy? (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/08/kobe_to_italy.html)
Posted by Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff August 8, 2008 12:37 AM
BEIJING – If Italy comes knocking with big money next summer, the NBA could lose its biggest star in Kobe Bryant.
When asked by The Boston Globe about a report that LeBron James would strongly consider playing in Europe for $50 million for one season when he becomes a free agent in two years, Bryant said he would take a similar deal by a pro team in Italy if offered when he becomes a free agent next summer. Such would be a devestating loss for the NBA since the Los Angeles Lakers star was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player last season and considered its most popular player. The Associated Press originally reported that Bryant could have interest in playing professionally in Europe.
“I’d go. I’d probably go,” said Bryant, during a USA Basketball press conference on Friday morning. “Like Milan or something like that, where I grew up or something like that… Peace out.”
Bryant continued: “Do you know any reasonable person that would turn down 50 (million dollars)?”
Bryant spent a large part of his childhood growing up in Italy while his father, Joe, played professional basketball there and speaks fluent Italian. In 1999, the 10-time NBA All-Star also acquired a 50 percent ownership of the Olimpia Milano of the Italian Professional Basketball League.
“Because I grew up in Italy it has more significance to me because I’m more familiar with it, I’ve been there and I still have friends there,” said Bryant, a three-time NBA champion. “I’m thinking about buying a house out there. It would be nothing to me to be able to do that.”
ESPN.com reported that a person close to James said Tuesday that the Cavaliers' superstar would strongly consider playing overseas if he was offered a salary of "around $50 million a year." ESPN also reported that Russia CSKA Moscow and Greece Olympiacos have already contacted James, but nothing has been discussed monetarily. Considering the Euro versus the American dollar and that European teams have no salary cap, a contract paying $50 million American wouldn’t be out the realm of possibility.
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he's only saying it so teams in the NBA offer him big money...just a threat, wont happen.
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he's only saying it so teams in the NBA offer him big money...just a threat, wont happen.
He's gunna get a max NBA contract regardless, so no...
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The NBA is not what it once was. It was once a huge privilege to play in the NBA, and although it still is, its not as much as it was say 15-20 year ago. For a star to leave the league to go overseas to play si not as big as say it would have been back then. If Kobe would leave the league to go 'home' to play, it would be huge news abe a big blow to the league, but the NBA would recover. Now lets say someone like Larry Bird left the league to play in Europe, the league would have been in critical condition. Times have changed so much that things like this are no as unpredictable as they once were. Just my opinion.
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wow.. imagine Europe Vs NBA money wise... they'd throw more money at kobe than lebron for sure id say about 70 mill for a season for kobe? could happen
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Lebron was bluffing. If anyone would go, it's "definitely" Kobe because of his background in Italy.
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I see him doing this maybe after a year of retirement (just cuz he's unbelievably competitive) but theres no way he's leaving the Lakers for Italy.
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you'd like to think that... then you realize this is a buisness $$$$$
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I see him doing this maybe after a year of retirement (just cuz he's unbelievably competitive) but theres no way he's leaving the Lakers for Italy.
thats a possiblity, but word...he ain't goin nowhere.
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Lakers will give Kobe a max extension...no way he's leaving the Lakers for Europe. He'll do it when he turns 40.
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go to europe kobe
LOL
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gay.
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I think once he sets his legacy in the NBA, you could see him in Europe. Instead of holding on too long, I could see Kobe in Europe at the age of 34-35, until he decides to quit playing.
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I see him doing this maybe after a year of retirement (just cuz he's unbelievably competitive) but theres no way he's leaving the Lakers for Italy.
just read again what he said and DON'T CRY :laugh:
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He's got enough money. I'd understand if he'd go back to where he grew up.
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I see him doing this maybe after a year of retirement (just cuz he's unbelievably competitive) but theres no way he's leaving the Lakers for Italy.
just read again what he said and DON'T CRY :laugh:
Cry about what? If he left and played in Itaq I'm still going to watch him.
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lol all the stars who are getting closer to their retirement could make some nice money after for just like playin a year in europe and get some major cash over here. players like iverson, v.carter, kobe, duncan etc. Although they would be in age by then it definitly would be good for the increase of populairity of the sport over here
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doggie for $50 mill you'd be retarded not to go.
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I wanna know how any european team is going to re-coup on his wages unless they want a percentage of his marketing rights
cus i mean c'mon who can actuallly name a non-american basketball team???
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I wanna know how any european team is going to re-coup on his wages unless they want a percentage of his marketing rights
cus i mean c'mon who can actuallly name a non-american basketball team???
If Kobe or LeBron sign, the whole world will be able to name that team...
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Kobe said in the LA Times it would be impossible to leave LA without winning a title as the solo leader... so look for Kobe to have some sort of long term success before heading over sees. It's like if Jordan would have left the US after winning title number 4, going out on top and collecting 40m elsewhere. Granted the Bulls paid him 30m, and in the 90's that's about the same with inflation, but still. He'd be at the top of his game, the world would be at his feet, and his getting top dollar. That's what I see Kobe doing, if he decides. Win a few more NBA titles, and well his still not see as washed up, he might sign with Italy, and move his family out of LA and do the Europe thing for a bit.
Here is the one problem with that theory, The only owner offering that money is in Greece, and his suppose to be a huge Billionair, and he only seems to be interested in Lebron James. There is no other team in Europe expressing this idea, so well it sounds nice, it might only be a one time shot. Though Kobe in Italy after his legacy is set, I still see it happening, even if it ain't 40m. It's almost like he has a retirement team... lol.
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I wanna know how any european team is going to re-coup on his wages unless they want a percentage of his marketing rights
cus i mean c'mon who can actuallly name a non-american basketball team???
If Kobe or LeBron sign, the whole world will be able to name that team...
i think you over setimate basketballs popularity
then again it could be like la galaxy signing beckham im sure now the whole world supports la galaxy and buys their merchandize ::)
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I wanna know how any european team is going to re-coup on his wages unless they want a percentage of his marketing rights
cus i mean c'mon who can actuallly name a non-american basketball team???
If Kobe or LeBron sign, the whole world will be able to name that team...
i think you over setimate basketballs popularity
then again it could be like la galaxy signing beckham im sure now the whole world supports la galaxy and buys their merchandize ::)
Nobody gives a fuck about Beckham and soccer in the US...the sports world goes crazy over Kobe, though. Basketball is much bigger in Europe than soccer is in America.
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the nba might be but even thats debatable....aside from that its dead out i couldnt name an english basketball team an the majority of ppl would say the same
only reason kobes known abroad is cus he raped some bitch or summat right??
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only reason kobes known abroad is cus he raped some bitch or summat right??
C'mon man, you're better than that.
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only reason kobes known abroad is cus he raped some bitch or summat right??
C'mon man, you're better than that.
Obviously not.
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LMAO @ this topic.
This can't be serious.
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my bad must have been thinking about some one else...
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I think once he sets his legacy in the NBA, you could see him in Europe. Instead of holding on too long, I could see Kobe in Europe at the age of 34-35, until he decides to quit playing.
lol he's not stupid
you don't leave the L.a. Lakers to go play in GReece ::)
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I think once he sets his legacy in the NBA, you could see him in Europe. Instead of holding on too long, I could see Kobe in Europe at the age of 34-35, until he decides to quit playing.
lol he's not stupid
you don't leave the L.a. Lakers to go play in GReece ::)
his talking Italy, where he grew up.
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
If a team did happen to offer him a $50 mill per year contract, you know theyd make the money back right away, right?
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I think once he sets his legacy in the NBA, you could see him in Europe. Instead of holding on too long, I could see Kobe in Europe at the age of 34-35, until he decides to quit playing.
lol he's not stupid
you don't leave the L.a. Lakers to go play in GReece ::)
his talking Italy, where he grew up.
still, you don't do that lol.
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
If a team did happen to offer him a $50 mill per year contract, you know theyd make the money back right away, right?
HOW??
im sorry mate but basketball isnt that popular in europe...and the people that do watch it watch the nba...i couldnt even name the name of a european basketball league let alone a team
they wouldnt recoup on shirt sales...because out side of the region the clubs based they would have next to no fans
there attendance wouldnt change dramatically as they simply dont have the capacity even if the demmand was there
im sure kobe is great at what he does...in fact hes too good for the european leagues...its like cristiano ronaldo goin to play in the MLS...even if he wanted to it wont happen unless he takes a pay cut
which lets face it if he wanted to play there that bad he would
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
If a team did happen to offer him a $50 mill per year contract, you know theyd make the money back right away, right?
HOW??
im sorry mate but basketball isnt that popular in europe...and the people that do watch it watch the nba...i couldnt even name the name of a european basketball league let alone a team
they wouldnt recoup on shirt sales...because out side of the region the clubs based they would have next to no fans
there attendance wouldnt change dramatically as they simply dont have the capacity even if the demmand was there
im sure kobe is great at what he does...in fact hes too good for the european leagues...its like cristiano ronaldo goin to play in the MLS...even if he wanted to it wont happen unless he takes a pay cut
which lets face it if he wanted to play there that bad he would
I don't think you understand... The interest in Euroleague would DRASTICALLY increase if this happened. Basketball is a lot more popular in Europe than soccer is in the US. I mean, Euroleague is getting big as it is...add a name like Kobe into the mix, and interest automatically doubles, if not triples...PeACe
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
If a team did happen to offer him a $50 mill per year contract, you know theyd make the money back right away, right?
HOW??
im sorry mate but basketball isnt that popular in europe...and the people that do watch it watch the nba...i couldnt even name the name of a european basketball league let alone a team
they wouldnt recoup on shirt sales...because out side of the region the clubs based they would have next to no fans
there attendance wouldnt change dramatically as they simply dont have the capacity even if the demmand was there
im sure kobe is great at what he does...in fact hes too good for the european leagues...its like cristiano ronaldo goin to play in the MLS...even if he wanted to it wont happen unless he takes a pay cut
which lets face it if he wanted to play there that bad he would
I don't think you understand... The interest in Euroleague would DRASTICALLY increase if this happened. Basketball is a lot more popular in Europe than soccer is in the US. I mean, Euroleague is getting big as it is...add a name like Kobe into the mix, and interest automatically doubles, if not triples...PeACe
lol, you overestimate Kobe
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
If a team did happen to offer him a $50 mill per year contract, you know theyd make the money back right away, right?
HOW??
im sorry mate but basketball isnt that popular in europe...and the people that do watch it watch the nba...i couldnt even name the name of a european basketball league let alone a team
they wouldnt recoup on shirt sales...because out side of the region the clubs based they would have next to no fans
there attendance wouldnt change dramatically as they simply dont have the capacity even if the demmand was there
im sure kobe is great at what he does...in fact hes too good for the european leagues...its like cristiano ronaldo goin to play in the MLS...even if he wanted to it wont happen unless he takes a pay cut
which lets face it if he wanted to play there that bad he would
I don't think you understand... The interest in Euroleague would DRASTICALLY increase if this happened. Basketball is a lot more popular in Europe than soccer is in the US. I mean, Euroleague is getting big as it is...add a name like Kobe into the mix, and interest automatically doubles, if not triples...PeACe
lol, you overestimate Kobe
It has nothing to do with Kobe...it'd be the same shit if LeBron came.
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It has nothing to do with Kobe...it'd be the same shit if LeBron came.
:loco:
And I'm the Pope.
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ok if thats what you believe...im guessing financing and market research isnt your strong point
and thanks for telling me whats popular in europe i wouldnt have a clue otherwise ::)
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LMAO@the Euros who don't understand how huge it would be...
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LMAO@the Euros who don't understand how huge it would be...
LMAO @ you who thinks the NBA (stars) is bigger than it actually is
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
If a team did happen to offer him a $50 mill per year contract, you know theyd make the money back right away, right?
Man i'm italian, i'm a Laker fan, a Kobe Bryant fan, and i follow italian basketball. Trust me: there's no way a team in Europe can offer $50 mill per year. Maybe 5, but i don't even guarrantee that.
Kobe was just making fun of journalists.
It's like Drogba saying: "If a team in the Ivory Coast offers me € 10 mlns i'd go there"
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It was a joke, stop it. No teams in Italy have money enought to pay him more than 1 million per year. Maybe with the right sponsor they can offer him 2-3 millions, but that's about it. LOL.
If a team did happen to offer him a $50 mill per year contract, you know theyd make the money back right away, right?
HOW??
im sorry mate but basketball isnt that popular in europe...and the people that do watch it watch the nba...i couldnt even name the name of a european basketball league let alone a team
they wouldnt recoup on shirt sales...because out side of the region the clubs based they would have next to no fans
there attendance wouldnt change dramatically as they simply dont have the capacity even if the demmand was there
im sure kobe is great at what he does...in fact hes too good for the european leagues...its like cristiano ronaldo goin to play in the MLS...even if he wanted to it wont happen unless he takes a pay cut
which lets face it if he wanted to play there that bad he would
I don't think you understand... The interest in Euroleague would DRASTICALLY increase if this happened. Basketball is a lot more popular in Europe than soccer is in the US. I mean, Euroleague is getting big as it is...add a name like Kobe into the mix, and interest automatically doubles, if not triples...PeACe
True. The only problem is that not even the whole Euroleague (i mean immagine all the top-teams in Europe making an offer for Kobe) can offer 50 millions! We don't have that money to invest for a basketball player. Simple as that.
Maybe we can offer Kobe a contract when he retires from the NBA. Like we did to Dominique Wilkins, Bob McAdoo, George Gervin, etc..
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^^^thats what i was sayin lol
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LMAO@the Euros who don't understand how huge it would be...
Yeah, but you are missing the point.
Even Drogba and Eto'o playing in an African Champions Leauge could be huge for them. But there's no team in Africa with enought money to make a real offer to them.
Kobe in Italy could be devastating. And LeBron in Greece/Russia too. But there are no teams who have money enought to make a real offer to them.
The only way Kobe can play in Italy is if he decides to come here basically for free (i mean for 2-3 millions, max 5). Same for LeBron.
They can do it, why not. But i don't see it happening, lol. Not now that they are in their prime. Maybe at the end of their NBA careers....
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would laker fans understand if he were to leave the team? despite possibly winning the championship this season...
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^nobody leaves the Lakers...when you do, your career goes downhill fast ala Shaq. you live with the Lakers, you die with the Lakers. 8)
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^nobody leaves the Lakers...when you do, your career goes downhill fast ala Shaq. you live with the Lakers, you die with the Lakers. 8)
true, now many All-Star games have Nick Van Exel or Eddie Jones been to since they both were traded from the Lakers.
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damn like that