Kobe Bryant Reportedly Interested In Playing In Turkey

As the NBA lockout enters its fourth week Friday, with no end in sight, Bryant-to-Turkey rumors continue to heat up. But Bryant's asking price - reportedly $1 million per month - could be a deal-killer for Besiktas, the same team that has a one-year deal in place with the Nets' star playmaker in the event that the lockout extends into the NBA regular-season

Ergin Ataman, the Besiktas coach, said that Bryant's reps have contacted the team, but that the club would need a sponsor to pay for his contract.
"Our board will evaluate that," Ataman told the Associated Press.
Currently touring China, Bryant said he would consider playing in China or Turkey if the lockout is still in place when the season starts Nov. 1.
But Bryant could also just be lending his name to the union effort to put some pressure on owners to make a deal. The Lakers' superstar turns 33 next month and is coming off surgery in May to help treat an arthritic joint in his right knee. There's no way he'll go overseas and jeopardize his NBA career if there is any hint of trouble with the knee.
Bryant's deal with the Lakers calls for him to average nearly $28 million per season over the next three seasons, so he's going to command top dollar overseas. He is far and away the NBA's No. 1 most popular star in China - he's called it his "home away from home" - so it would seem that Turkey as a destination would be a longshot. Williams' contract with the Turkish team is said to be for $350,000 per month.
If the lockout causes games to be canceled and Bryant plays overseas, he'd be the biggest NBA superstar to take that route. Along with Williams, Orlando's Dwight Howard has also said that he also would be interested in going overseas to play during an extended lockout.
But before anyone thinks they're definitely going to see NBA superstars playing overseas, there are significant legal hurdles. Players must first gain approval from FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, which has close ties to the NBA. FIBA has the authority to reject the deals.
Since owners imposed the lockout on July 1, they have not had a negotiating session with the players, with the union saying that the two sides are $7 billion apart on a long-term deal. Friday, staff members from both sides will meet for the first time since June 30 in what is not considered a full-scale bargaining session, since commissioner David Stern and the head of the Players Association, Billy hunter, are not scheduled to attend.