Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant visits Turkey: NBA Update
Los Angeles Lakers star shooting guard Kobe Bryant is nowadays on a trip to Turkey to participate in a number of sports associated activities supported by his sponsor ‘NIKE’. On Sunday, he arrived in Istanbul and inaugurated two
renovated basketball courts near Caddebostan area. Many young fans of Kobe came to attend the occasion.
Kobe Bryant, while talking to the media, expressed his jubilation over coming to Istanbul. When asked about playing in Turkey for Besiktas, Kobe said that the move is still on the cards.
Kobe said, “I still think about playing at Besiktas. I found Istanbul more beautiful than people described. There is a great atmosphere for basketball in Turkey and I may decide about playing for Besiktas.”
“I am still considering playing at Besiktas. I was happy to find out that there are people in Istanbul who love basketball as much as I do."
The Besiktas basketball club had offered Kobe Bryant $500,000 per month for an entire season. However, the contract issues could not be ironed out and the deal went cold.
Kobe also praised Turkish stars Hidayet Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur during his brief and also talked of his love for football. He branded Spanish side FC Barcelona as the best team and its young sensation Lionel Messi the greatest
football player in the world.
In Turkey, the Lakers star Galatasaray as his favourite team. On Sunday, he went to their team practice facility at Turk Telekom Arena and attended a training session. Later, Kobe Bryant said, “From now on, I am a Galatasaray fan.”
After completing his visit in Turkey, Kobe Bryant is scheduled to visit Milan, Italy in the coming week. Recently, he has also received an offer from an Italian basketball club to play in their league. Virtus Bologna has offered
a huge contract to Kobe worth approximately $600,000 per game. The world media is now waiting for Kobe to land in Italy as he yet to make decision on his potential playing chances in Italy.
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