Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers isn't going to let a little thing like an NBA lockout stop him from playing basketball. Bryant is exploring his options for overseas hoops next season, and it appears there are two country frontrunners. Ok, there are two countries being bandied about, but only one of them really has a shot.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports through his sources that Besikatas of Turkey has been most aggressively courting Kobe in public, but there has been nothing substantive to the talks. However, China seems to be the more likely target for Kobe's services--there are far greater endorsement deals with Kobe in the country, he's perhaps the most popular basketball player in the country (even more than Yao Ming), and he'd have a nation devoted to basketball that would instantly follow his every move. Bryant to China seems far likelier if the lockout drags on, although the team that eventually gets him must be willing to pony up at least $1.5 million per month to get him.
And of course, being more likely to play in China than Turkey doesn't mean much, considering it looks like there's zero chance that Kobe would play in Turkey. There's a lot of numbers bigger than zero.
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