NBA’s Worst Fears Realized: Kobe Would Leave to Play in Italy for $50 Million a Year
NBA August 8th. 2008, 10:30am
After reading this report in the Boston Globe, David Stern must be huddled under his desk at the NBA headquarters in NYC, tucked into the fetal position:
“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)?â€
Idle chatter, or genuine shit-your-pants stuff? Can any team really pony up $50 mil for a season? Does the NBA need to re-think the salary cap?
The league would be irreparably damaged if Kobe and LeBron were given offers of $50 million a year and bolted overseas. You know what ESPN’s doing, right? Obviously, they’re laying the groundwork for TV contracts in Europe, just in case LeBron goes to Greece and somebody in Italy makes an offer to Kobe. We’re kidding, but maybe we shouldn’t be.
Kobe to Italy? (Boston Globe)
95 Responses to “NBA’s Worst Fears Realized: Kobe Would Leave to Play in Italy for $50 Million a Year”
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August 8th, 2008 at 10:33 am
The NBA has to be getting nervous, and I would take your comment seriously TBL, if those two bolted ESPN would definitely show their games.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:33 am
LeBron isn’t going to Greece. But Kobe to Italy? He grew up there, and he’s just quirky enough that I think it’s a real possibility if one of their teams steps up with a gigantic offer. And yes, this should make David Stern poop his pants.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
i have zero clue how the financials work on the teams over there, but i still find it hard to believe a player could get $50 mil.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
First Josh Childress, then Earl Boykins. Now Kobe. Who cares? Look, the league will survive as long as it’s just middle-tier players leaving.
Don’t call me until Lebron, CP3, Dwight, or Oden leave.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
ESPN would be dumb not to.
Man, if I were an NBA fan — I’d be a little nervous, too.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Why is this happening now? Is it because of the weak US dollar, why didn’t European teams do this years ago?
August 8th, 2008 at 10:35 am
How do you know? Or, he’s as sensible as any of us – if a foreign company offers you an ungodly amount of money to go over there and work, wouldn’t you strongly consider it?
August 8th, 2008 at 10:35 am
If NBA teams start giving out $50,000,000 a year contracts within the next 10 years, they’ll break themselves just like the USFL
August 8th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Even if they did get $50 mil. I doubt it’d be for longer than 1 year. Then they’d be right back here boring us on Christmas Day.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:35 am
You don’t think the European teams are reading this and thinking screw getting these small time NBA players like Childress, let’s get our money together for Kobe or LeGlobal. This is a huge threat to the NBA
If I were Stern I’d retire before all of the stars left on his watch.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Dominique Wilkins already went to Europe to win his title. It did not destroy the nba.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:36 am
The NBA should take this seriously but, I dont see Kobe or LeBron leaving the NBA to go oversees no time soon.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I think LeBron could actually maybe perhaps win a game in the EuroLeague Finals. Okay, he should give it a shot.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Personally, I think there is NO chance that either one leaves to play in Europe. This is a potentially smart ploy by LBJ and Kobe (and their entourage) to break down the NBA salary cap. The more talk about it, the more nervous Stern gets, the more likely the stars can earn more money per year in the NBA to prevent a star from leaving.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Remember, Kobe and Lebron are still locked in for two more years.
chris paul – but didn’t he sign an extension?
dwight howard is safe for awhile
August 8th, 2008 at 10:37 am
/how I feel
August 8th, 2008 at 10:37 am
/ Raghib “The Rocket” Ismail, worked out well for me.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Kobe is too arrogant to play anywhere else. He knows his legacy has to be built here and not in Europe
August 8th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Very good point. I really dont know if it’s the dollar exchange or what. i definitely want to read more about it, though.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
who cares about a legacy when you can make $100 mil TAX FREE? in two years?
dude, he’s 34 and set for fucking life. (not that he’s not already set; but if he makes $30 mil in the uS this year, he probably loses $14 mil to taxes, i believe)
August 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
The dollar is at a 5 month high vs the euro as the ECB cautioned about slowing economic growth in Europe.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I think they would go if offered, but those “offers” are non-existent. That rich Greek owner has his 5 minutes of fame so he’s planting stories about fictional huge offers. Congrats, now we’ve all heard of your team but we still will never watch.
Bron/Kobe know the only way to be considered “one of the greats” is to win NBA titles. Nothing you do in europe would matter, in fact you would be considered a pariah in the US for bolting for the money.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Can’t see LeBron leaving to go overseas. They call charges over there.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:42 am
i cant believe Rashard Lewis makes more than Dwight. Thanks for that link TBL.
Carlos Arroyo signed with Tel Aviv. That is another middle tier player who left.
I will be shocked if Lebron and Kobe(or any other superstar) leave the states to play overseas.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:42 am
If they left for money I wouldn’t hold it against them at all.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I think the timing of this for the NBA is pretty good. It is a lot better for them to have some time to restructure the cap if they think it is flawed. Had some European team offered LeBron his $50 mil in two years when he was a free agent and he walked without warning to the NBA, that could have been really damaging and it would have crippled the Nets.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I’d doubt that there is one player in the NBA who would turn down $50M to play in Europe and that includes Kobe, LeBron, Duncan, CP3. The European league may live to regret this when the American players turn their team game into a glorified game of 1 on 1 like the NBA has become.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Black Mamba won’t go anywhere till he wins a championship without Shaq, if he did Shaq would have a field day going off about how his ass taste.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:43 am
kobe+50,000,000 > lebron+50,000,000
August 8th, 2008 at 10:44 am
If you look at the way soccer is run throughout the world, it’s no suprise that basketball (the 2nd most popular professional sport) could follow suit.
The NBA might think it’s implausible that Kobe or LBJ would go to Europe, but why not? They cement their status as world-wide icons even more and, when they return after 3 years to the NBA, the bidding war for their services would be incredible.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I could see this going either way. But like someone else said, why are the Euro teams just starting to do this now? How could they possibly afford it? I could see Lebron doing it for a year to boost his global icon status, and then returning to the NBA. Plus it would feed his ego all of the coverage that would surround his return to the NBA. I do think it’s significant that major stars are openly considering it as that will give the middle of the road players more confidence to bolt.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Anyone else hear about how Brooklyn might not have the stadium ready until after LeBron would have been a free agent?
August 8th, 2008 at 10:45 am
@TBL—
Dude is already set for life. 100 million is enticing no doubt. I would say yes. But Kobe’s family is already set for generations as long as he is smart with what he has made
August 8th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I dont see it happening at allThese guys have egos and want to be considered the best at what they do, they will not get that respect and recognition playing overseas.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:45 am
1. How important is it to them to be considered one of the greats?
2. Who says they wouldn’t be considered one of the greats if they went overseas. Sabonis is considered one of the greatest big men ever internationally, including the U.S.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I think fans and media care much more about legacy then the players themselves.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Nothing you do in europe would matter, in fact you would be considered a pariah in the US for bolting for the money.
Is this the 1950’s all the sudden?
August 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
@ Darrell
I think it is VERY important to both Kobe and Lebron to be considered one of the greats. that being said
lebron > kobe
August 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Sabonis is considered one of the greatest big men ever internationally, including the U.S.
in the US, arvydas is considered an all time great?
August 8th, 2008 at 10:49 am
He probably had to spend 7 figures to shut the Denver gal up.
/23 > 24
August 8th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Remember when it was a big deal the MJ was making over a mil a year? And I’m not that old…
August 8th, 2008 at 10:49 am
If you look at Euro team rosters they always have tons of USA players. I think some countries have caps on how many non nationals you can have on a team. It does not make business sense to overpay for players, it makes sense to get good player for their value or less. Can someone offer a huge one time contract, yes. That business model will probably not last though. I think the Euro teams are trying to do this to threaten the NBA so that they raise the cap above a $500,000 buyout of controlled players, that is how they can make money. Selling young talent like they do in soccer.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:49 am
kobe > lebron
8+ 24 > 23
August 8th, 2008 at 10:50 am
This is what the NBA gets for trying to “over-globalize” the game….the hand that fed is now getting bitten….
August 8th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I think fans and media care much more about legacy then the players themselves.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:51 am
As long as the EuroLeague games are in HD, I don’t give a shit where they play. If, however, they have that grainy foreign feed – I’ll be shaking my fist at the TV.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I think this is promising development for the NBA. If all of the best Americans go abroad, there is room for all of the peripheral white guys to make NBA rosters. JJ Redick is salivating right now.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I seriously doubt the revenues of those overseas leagues justify the salaries of a LeBron and, to a lesser extent, Kobe.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
This is what the NBA gets for trying to “over-globalize†the game….the hand that fed is now getting bitten….
Nothing has happened yet, wayyyyyyy too soon to be saying that.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
JJ Redick is a bum
August 8th, 2008 at 10:53 am
if all these good players go, maybe Paul Shirley could finally get a gig in the NBA.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:53 am
/it’s math and science
August 8th, 2008 at 10:53 am
shit…
8+ 24 = 32 > 23
/it’s math and science
August 8th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Kobe already has an 3 Rings (5 Finals Appearances), an MVP, 6 First Team all-nba defenses, 2-time scoring champion, Slam Dunk title, 81 points in a basketball game!, 6-time all-nba first team, 2-time All-Star game MVP.
He’s already one of the greats.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Miz must have went to UT.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am
@miz: I was wondering what joke I missed with the 30 comment. No joke. Just bad math. Nice.
/Is Friday over yet?
August 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am
I think it depends on the player, some guys (melo) are in it for the money and could care less about success/legacy.
Guys like Kobe/Bron are uber competitive, they know the history of the NBA, they know about legacy, and (I think) its important to them to be remembered as NBA champs, not Euro money grabbers.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:57 am
damn. hour and a half till the weekend for me. Beer Oclock is coming early tonight….
August 8th, 2008 at 10:57 am
It would be awesome to see Kobe or LeBron go over there, get paid for a couple years and score 40 points a game. ESPN would get the games so the only people missing out would be those going to the arenas to see them.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:58 am
right you are. August, would you like to add anything?
August 8th, 2008 at 10:58 am
. This is true. We can now watch players like Redick and Adam Morrison be players with fundamentals; play gritty and gutty; and be intelligent players. No more of that one on one stuff. We can now watch games where there is a minimum of 5 passes before a shot and bring back the underhand free throw. Ahhhhh, Basketball as it ought to be.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:59 am
My legacy is set.
/Mr. Rider
August 8th, 2008 at 10:59 am
@miz
Ill be in nashville next weekend drinking my face off. im sure ill hear rocky top a few times….
August 8th, 2008 at 11:00 am
We already have that, Darrell.
It’s called the WNBA.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:02 am
miz: that one stands on its own
+ ∞ NickP.
@blazers: god help you if you do…
August 8th, 2008 at 11:03 am
NBA basketball 1988 > NBA basketball 2008
August 8th, 2008 at 11:03 am
People like Hubie Brown who were into Europe Ball before it became popular will tell you yes he is.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Ill be in nashville next weekend drinking my face off. im sure ill hear the next big thing a few times….
Just remember, everyone you meet on Broadway, they’re gonna make it big… just ask them about it.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:05 am
NBA in 2008 > NBA in 1958
August 8th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Fuck Kobe. I hope he goes. I wouldnt miss him. The NBA needs to restructure their contracts with a “no going to overseas clause” or something.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Not to me it wasn’t. There were 30 guys in the league that would play significant time in today’s league. The rest wouldn’t see the floor.
That should do it.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:07 am
more than a few times if you’re lucky.
Nashville:prospective country stars::Hollywood:prospective actors
August 8th, 2008 at 11:07 am
@blazers: last time I was down there it was more Roll Tide Roll than Rocky Top.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Your point being?
August 8th, 2008 at 11:08 am
the fuck? why?
August 8th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I don’t know how serious you are being, but the players go overseas when they are free agents, which means no contracts and thus no clauses. Unless you want the players to swear an oath when they enter the NBA not to go overseas. We could dig up Joe McCarthy and have him spearhead this.
America!
August 8th, 2008 at 11:09 am
@ cursed: I think he meant the product of NBA basketball, rather than the quality of players. That’s how I took it anyways.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:12 am
@miz: I have no idea. I guess there were a bunch of people from Alabama at the bar or something. They would not shut up the whole night either so we just decided to leave and go to a different bar.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:13 am
NBA Live 2009 > NBA 2K9
August 8th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Obviously players are faster and more athletic than they were 20 years ago. The problem with your theory is that back then, players actually knew how to shoot. Most players today wouldn’t see the floor during the Bird/Magic era because your average NBA player today can barely hit the rim from 15+ feet.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Rockstar, that might be true. But the quality of basketball is where it is because the athletes are too..umm.. athletic now. Nobody in 88 could beat anyone off the dribble outside of a few guys. Now every guy in the league can destroy any defender one-on-one. With the exception of Jason Hart of course. Oh and Chris Quinn.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:15 am
My point being you have your eras mixed up. I thought the underhanded free throws would have been a clue. But I’m like the other guy 08 > 88
August 8th, 2008 at 11:16 am
That’s not true that most guys today wouldn’t see the floor back then, they could all get to the basket with relative ease. People all say the guys could all shoot the ball better back then, but I never really see evidence to back that up. Three point shooting perentages are all pretty similar from what I’ve seen. It seems to the naked eye that guys have terrible mid-range games today, that much I can admit. But overall shooting, I’d like to see more evidence.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:19 am
There are players who know how to shoot. The problem is it is much tougher to get off a shot now than it was 20 years ago. 20 years ago, you probably had a 6′5″ guy closing out on the wings, where today, you have a 6′9″ who is just as athletic and has a 8 foot wingspan. You compare a game from 20 years ago to now and you see much more defense for a longer period of the game today than back then.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Keep in mind, cursed hates Michael Jordan and puts David West on par with Tim Duncan.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:22 am
So you’re saying that players today are more athletic but only on offense? Wouldn’t these great athletic players also be able to play tremendous defense as compared to 20 years ago? The game was better then because players played both ends of the floor, knew how to shoot, and the game as a whole had better flow.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I do NOT hate MJ! He’s the best of all time (BOAT). I just don’t like revisionist history – you know, like MJ never had a bad playoff game/finals game (I’ve documented those instances!). And I hate when people make it seem like Jordan single handedly won titles, when his team won 55 games without him!
August 8th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Groin, I’m saying it’s impossible to guard in the league one-on-one. 20 years of evolution has spawned an offensive player that can do things with the basketball that you just didn’t see in the 80’s. Try to find a crossover dribble back then, try to find a step back jumper, these moves didn’t exist. When I watch old Celtic playoff games, guys dribbled with the only purpose of standing still and firing off a pass.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:47 am
I live in Nashville and if anyone wants to drink, I got the first pitcher…
August 8th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Fair enough cursed, I see your point. We’ll just agree to disagree.
/goes back to whittling on the front porch
August 8th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
rleecunningham——ill be there next friday through sunday. beers at the dive called pirhanas could be a decent idea….
miz and tommy Z—
place we go a fight almost always breaks out between hillybilly alabama fans and tenessee fans. they do the whole bidding war on playing/not playing rocky top and sweet home alabama
August 8th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
@ rleecunningham: you live in Nashville as well!?
August 8th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
place we go a fight almost always breaks out between hillybilly alabama fans and tenessee fans.
Let me guess: Robert’s ?
August 8th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
if espn or another network is smart, they’ll buy up the tv rights and then start convincing the stars to go over to europe. i’m surprised espn hasn’t started their own league yet.
August 8th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
@august. actually the stage was the first place that came to mind