Kobe on owner/player posiblity in Italy

[Dekko1]

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Kobe Won't Sign an Extension with LA Yet


Kobe Bryant won’t sign a contract extension with the Los Angeles
Lakers until he has tested the global market, the U.S. Olympic
basketball star told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday.

Asked whether he plans to solicit overseas offers before signing an
extension, Bryant flatly said yes.

It’s possible Bryant could leave the NBA for Europe – perhaps in a
dual role of owner and player – as early as next summer. Bryant is
signed with the Lakers through the 2010-11 season, but can opt out
after next season.

Suddenly, the best player in the world seems determined to pair the
changing global economics with his unparalleled popularity to create
an international bidding war. A day earlier, Bryant told the Boston
Globe that he would consider a $50 million offer to play in Europe.

“As players, the business of the game (is) evolving,” Bryant said
before a Team USA practice at Beijing Normal University. “I think free
agency now is becoming a global thing …. When players become free
agents, the team they’re currently with – their competition is no
longer the rest of the teams in the NBA. But it’s global. So, the
market’s opened up. So we’ll just have to see how the league responds
to it.”

Bryant spent several years of his childhood in Italy and loves it
there. Seven years ago, he bought an ownership stake in Olimpia Milano
of the Italian league for his father Joe to run. When Bryant was asked
whether he held intrigue with owning and playing on a team together,
he said, “Absolutely.”

Some basketball executives believe Bryant’s ultimate ambition might be
to have a majority ownership with a powerhouse Italian team while
serving as its superstar. What’s more, Bryant, 29, insists that it
wouldn’t be such a leap of faith for him to leave the NBA.