Ever since Deron Williams announced he'd be playing professional basketball in Turkey if there's no NBA next season, Kobe Bryant has been rumored to be interested in doing the same. The catch? Kobe will cost a lot more money.
According to ESPN's Mark Stein, the Turkish club Besitkas has offered Kobe a salary of $500,000-per-month to come overseas should the NBA Lockout stretch into the 2011-2012 season. And Kobe's interested, too, but as a Turkish outlet reports, he wants double the money. Indeed, if Kobe's going to play overseas, he wants $1,000,000-per-month. While that may seem like an unreasonable figure, it's considerably less than he'd earn in America. What's more, Kobe's demands haven't deterred his suitors. If anything, this just calls for some creative financing.
To sign Kobe successfully, the money would likely have to come from a third party who would sponsor the contract. Like, say, the Turkish Airlines corporation that's already paying Kobe a hefty sum to be the face of their marketing campaign? It's certainly a possibility...