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The Turkish basketball club Besiktas has made an offer to Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant to play for its team during the N.B.A. lockout and is awaiting an answer from Bryants agent, Besiktas Coach Ergin Ataman said Friday.
Ataman, who already has a deal with the Nets Deron Williams, said he expects to hear Bryants decision when he speaks to Bryants agent, Rob Pelinka, in the next day or so. Ataman said Pelinka had initiated the discussions by contacting the club this week.
We are very serious, Ataman said in a telephone interview Friday. I dont think they are joking with us. We showed we are serious with the Deron Williams transfer. We believe this will happen. We are optimistic that during the lockout Kobe and Deron Williams will play with our team.
Ataman did not give details of the offer made to Bryant. Williamss deal is reportedly worth $200,000 to $350,000 a month, and Bryant would be asking for significantly more.
When Williams signed, Ataman said a sponsor would be paying Williamss salary. When Ataman first discussed Bryants interest, he said the club would seek another sponsor to pay Bryant. Ataman insisted Friday that the club had plenty of sponsors and plenty of money to pay Bryant, but that a sponsorship deal with Turkish Airlines was being discussed.
Bryant has a two-year endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines, although he said as recently as December that he had never been to Turkey.
Besiktas is trying to make the biggest splash in the business of luring locked-out N.B.A. players, which would come in contrast to the news in its soccer program. The deputy chairman of Besiktas, Serdal Adali, as well as its soccer coach are among 31 people jailed recently in Turkey in connection with a match-fixing scandal.
I'd laugh my ass off if Kobe played in Turkey
I'd laugh my ass off if Kobe played in Turkey
It's not that bad.
In 2010 Turkey has lost in World-Cup Final against USA.
But, the team Bryant might be transferred to isn't the best team in the league, and it is not qualified for the biggest competition in Europe (Euroleague).
It's the same club where Iverson played.
And now they have transferred Deron Williams although I don't know that guy.
It's being said, that negotiations with Bryant will begin in August and they'll offer him 1 Million $ a month.
His salary would be payed by T.Airlines for whom Bryant already makes commercials.
They also say, that a Chinese club wants to sign Bryant and the main sponsor of that Chinese Club is Nike.
I'd laugh my ass off if Kobe played in Turkey
