At first blush, the talk of Kobe Bryant heading to Turkey to play basketball would seem like blasphemy.
Bryant is the biggest face in the NBA, having become a five-time champion and an international superstar.
Furthermore, he is a Los Angeles Laker all the way down to his DNA, and the thought of him in any other uniform than the purple and gold will make the most diehard basketball fan shudder.
However, in the wake of Deron Williams' shocking deal to play for Besiktas, the club didn't want to stop there, saying it wants Bryant on their roster as well.
Per Yahoo Sports:
Ataman will travel to the United States with Besiktas management officials next week to trumpet the signing of Williams, and wants to arrange a meeting with Bryant and Bryant?s agent, Rob Pelinka, he told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday afternoon.
?After we signed Deron, we started to look around and find a friend of his, find other NBA stars, who want to come over and play with us,? Ataman told Yahoo! Sports. ?If Kobe wants to play with Deron in Istanbul, we can discuss this.?
Of course, this will be blown off as bluster from the Turkish club, and in all likelihood, it is.
Despite that, we shouldn't completely write it off as an impossibility.
Bryant has lived overseas in his life, so it wouldn't be a violent, jarring transition for the former MVP, and he also has an endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines, giving the former Lower Merion product a link to the club and the country.
Few players are committed to the game of basketball quite like Bryant, and if it looks like there will be a lost season, I highly doubt Bryant would let one of his few remaining dominant years slip away on the couch in Los Angeles.
If the club can offer a lucrative deal, and Bryant believes it's a good fit for him and his game, there is no reason they can't get his signature on the dotted line.
In the end though, the league and the players will come to a deal, and we'll all laugh at the idea of NBA superstars almost playing in Turkey, but for now, it's a very possible outcome.
Never question Bryant's drive to dominate on the basketball court and be the best player in the world.
That motivation trumps everything for the Lakers star, and it could send him across the Atlantic if the labor strife continues into the fall.
Lauren Conrad Arielle Kebbel Jessica Paré Leelee Sobieski Teri Hatcher
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