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Kobe Bryant: Virtus Bologna contract negotiation “was not a hoax”

Italy-based Corriere de Bologna, via Sky News, is today looking back nostalgically at those crazy days of the NBA player lockout – seems like forever ago, doesn’t it? – in quoting from an interview given by Kobe Bryant in Italian vis-à-vis the long flirtation Virtus Bologna and president Claudio Sabbatini carried on with the Los Angeles Laker while awaiting the delayed 2011-12 season opener.

“It was all true,” Corriere quotes Kobe as stating. “It was not a hoax.” Kobe goes on to say that “As I’ve said many times, I would be happy to one day play in the Italian League; it’s a dream I had as a child…”

The Corriere goes on to cite inside sources as explaining that Sabbatini & Co. could not compromise with Bryant’s representative Rob Pelinka on the nature of the games Kobe would have played. Sabbatini’s plan was mostly planned as being “a kind of occasional collaboration” because the club was having serious problems with the league’s standard labor contract and therein that old bugaboo, taxes.

Concluded Kobe’s thoughts on playing in Europe: “I was really looking forward to starting this adventure in Italy, but then things in the NBA settled down and the season started after the lockout, so [my return to] Italy did not materialize. But there is still time in the future.”

Still time, eh? We can wait…

Feb 21, 2012ballineurope
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Comments: 3
  1. 824
    9 years ago

    This is exactly what he wants, to win a 6th/7th ring in the US (before his contract expires) then go after his 7th/8th in EuroLeague which would be AMAZING. This would be an incredible set of events and takes Kobe’s career to an all time high.

    ReplyCancel
  2. ignarus
    9 years ago

    good for him if he ends up doing it one day, but i’d be surprised if it happened when he was still capable of putting up significant numbers at the nba level. might happen when he’s 40 or so…

    ReplyCancel
  3. Max
    9 years ago

    @ S24 – Virtus Bologna does not play in the Euroleague. So he would have to find a different team, if he wanted to do that.

    It’s also called Euroleague, not “EuroLeague”. EuroLeague is the women’s competition.

    ReplyCancel
Pingbacks: 3
  1. Thursday And-1 links: Shumpert almost dunked over a couch for Lin | ProBasketballTalk
    9 years ago
  2. Kobe Bryant Wants to Play in the Italian League Someday at losangeleslakers.hoops227.net
    9 years ago
  3. BallinEurope, the European Basketball news site » Blog Archive » Besiktas 80, Anadolu Efes 76: The BallinEurope review of a triple-crown season
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ballineurope
9 years ago 6 Comments More, NBA/NCAAClaudio Sabatini, Italy, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA lockout, Virtus Bologna
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