Kobe Bryant not going to Turkey after all – NBA Update
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant has declared that his proposed move to Turkish club Besiktas has hit the rocks. The Los Angeles Lakers player said so in a recent interview after various reports in the media suggested
that the move was off.
"I haven't spoken to Besiktas in weeks," Bryant said Sunday.
The Kobe Bryant to Besiktas saga has been going on for quite a while now with contradicting reports emerging every other day. Just last week, a Besiktas executive went on the record saying that there was a 50 percent chance of
Kobe coming to the Turkish club.
It was suggested that Bryant’s wage demands would be taken care of through contributions from different sponsors. However, now it seems that the club will not be able to sign a second NBA star for next season, having already secured
New Jersey Nets star Deron Williams on a deal that has an escape clause in case the NBA lockout ends.
Bryant declared that he didn’t know where he will play next season and he was open to a move anywhere, as his main priority was to be able to play and maintain his fitness.
"I'm just waiting for my phone to ring. Here it is," said Bryant,. "I will play anywhere."
Kobe Bryant has been busy since the NBA season ended. The player, who is a huge star in the Far East, made a tour of China earlier and then went to the Philippines for two exhibition games.
Bryant also asserted that currently he was not in contact with any team regarding a deal for next season and the various reports linking him with different teams were news to him,
"You probably know more about that than I do," Bryant said. "... I've been touring. I get the Internet. I'm computer literate, so I can read on the Internet, and I read a lot of things and hear a lot of things. To be honest with
you, that's the first time I hear those things. So, I'll let you decipher what that means, but a lot of that stuff is news to me."
Kobe Bryant is one of the biggest stars in the NBA and the players’ repeated declarations of wanting to play overseas are viewed as a pressure tactic in some quarters in the backdrop of the current labour situation. The NBA and
players are at loggerheads over a new CBA and the National Basketball Players Association has encouraged members to seek playing time abroad, sending a signal to David Stern and the owners that they are digging their heels in and won’t give up without a fight.
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