Kobe Bryant Reportedly Turned Down Offer to Play for Barcelona in Euroleague

March 31st, 2016 by Alec Nathan Leave a reply »

Kobe Bryant's time with the Los Angeles Lakers is coming to a close, but a report Wednesday from Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo (h/t Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin, citing HoopsHype) indicated FC Barcelona's basketball team offered the Black Mamba a shot to continue his career.   

According to Helin, the report said Barcelona's offer "was for Kobe to play only in Barcelona’s Euroleague games, which is the equivalent of the Champions League in soccer where the top teams from each country’s club leagues face off against each other."

And while the report didn't say whether Barcelona made the offer for this season or the next, Helin noted that it wouldn't have made sense for Bryant to cut his time with the Lakers short, since he's raking in $25 million in the final year of his contract. 

Outrageous as the reported offer may seem, it makes sense from Barcelona's standpoint.

Not only is Bryant arguably the most popular international player the sport has ever had, but he also speaks fluent Italian, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ivan Favelevi ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
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