When it's all said and done, Kobe Bryant will go down as one of the greatest Laker players in the franchise's storied history. He'll be remembered as one of the best to ever play in the NBA and as someone who helped bring Los Angeles five (or more) NBA titles.
When that time comes, when the Lakers and Bryant part ways, the question will surface: What's next?
We saw Michael Jordan retire, then un-retire, then retire, then un-retire. We saw Shaquille O'Neal play for a handful of teams in quest of an elusive fifth ring. We saw Allen Iverson try to re-establish his career overseas.
But it's hard to believe Bryant won't have a better NBA escape route.
Bryant, 33 (going on 34), recently told Yahoo! Sports in a report that he would consider playing at least one season in Europe to finish his playing career.
Since Bryant "grew up" in Europe when his father Joe Bryant played in Italy, it'd be the perfect desert entree to a main course of an NBA career that has included 14 All-NBA teams and two Finals MVPs.
"It would be natural for me to go do it," Bryant, who speaks Italian and Spanish, told Yahoo! Sports. "It wouldn't be a stretch at all."
Currently, Bryant is taking in the Olympic experience at London, attending a variety of events and posting his adventures on his Facebook page.
Bryant is surely focusing on the now with Team USA in position to win another gold medal at the London Olympics and the Lakers possibly returning to title contender status with the addition of two-time MVP Steve Nash. But in two years after his contract is up, when he's 36 and his knees aren't as springy, Bryant won't rule out playing overseas. He could retire, but considering his marketability as global superstar, why not give it a shot?
"You'd have to look at the market and what's going on in terms of the level of basketball being played," Bryant said. "I understand there's a high level of competitive basketball in Turkey now. They might have the best league in Europe. Spain has obviously been one of the top leagues for a long time. …And Italy is a place that's dear in my heart, I grew up there, but the level is not where it used to be. When I was growing up over there, that was the best league in Europe."
Copyright 2012 USA TODAY
No comments:
Post a Comment