Turkish media is naturally buzzing with anticipation about the arrival of Allen Iverson to Beşiktaş Cola Turka and, while club GM Şeref Yalçın is utterly positive the Answer is set to play TBL ball, he cautions that the wait for A.I. on the court could be another 10 days or so.
Reassuring fans that “Iverson wants to come” (“Iverson gelmek isityor”) and that he’d been ironing out conditions with A.I. for a month or so, Yalçın stated he would be making another trip to the U.S. to finalize the deal, a matter Yalçın considers a formality.
Yalçın stated that Iverson’s remaining issues dealt with his children’s school year and the like, and went on to provide a few more contract details in Turkish media: Beşiktaş is offering a 1+1 deal, though whose option on the second year was not specified, with $1.5 million the salary plus $300,000 signing bonus upon Iverson’s passing a physical.
(“…Yaptığımız anlaşma 1+1 yıllık olacak. İlk yıl için 1.5 milyon dolar olarak anlaşmaya vardık. Iverson’a, Türkiye’ye gelip sağlık kontrolünden geçtikten sonra da 300 Bin dolar daha peşin ödeme yapacağız. Yani Iverson’un bize mailiyeti yaklaşık 2 Milyon dolar civarında olacak.”)
And, as BallinEurope reader Apollo has pointed out, all figures represent net income after taxes and agent’s fees.
Though Yalçın did not mention any incentive clauses, most observers expect some such bonuses will also be contained in the agreement; it is also thought that no “escape clause” allowing Iverson to jump back to the NBA should he be offered a deal by an American club.
Beşiktaş still officially expects Iverson to be in the black and white by the November 6th TBL game against Bornova.
