Lebron James and Kobe Bryant (NBA stars), Considering basketball in Europe, incl. Greece Options

[plato-ny]

Lebron would consider Greece, Russia
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3520860

Both Lebron and Bryant would consider Europe
http://http://www.startribune.com/sports/w...s/26356124.html

Bryant said he would consider Greece, Italy, Russia
http://http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sp...llion-kobe.html

[Greekaus]

Never going to happen. Those top line NBA players cant afford to be out of the limelight even for one season as they are tied up to multi million $ endorsement deals. Can you imagine Kobe playing for OLY against Pangrati in the Greek Cup ?


If OLY signs LeBron do they also have to bring over his entourage and posee... ?

[biancoverde]

Hey we got Dominique....I think that they mean later in their careers.

Also, the money thats in Europe is going to be way bigger. CSKA Russians are all rich, and OSFP's Aggelopoulos can afford to pay ridiculous amounts of millions for a player of that caliber.

Imagine a 50 million dollar contract....With the Euro conversion things look even better for big spending like that too...

Its not like Kobe hasnt accomplished anything in NBA, maybe he wants a change in lifestyle (and a ton of money)... Less stressful lifestyle, passionate fans, travel, 1 league game per week, absurd amounts of money...Living in Greece as a Basketball Star is not at all a bad life. Im sure theyd enjoy it quite a bit...Being swamped in the spotlight of the NBA all year has got to get old for any man.

Although CSKA will always be rich, PAO and Olympiakos will always be in Greece. Athens or Moscow....You would want to leave the NBA to live in Moscow year long??? Its a no brainer.

A superstar would be crazy not to consider that, esp on thats accomplished so much in the NBA and wants to try something new.

This post has been edited by drakos13: Aug 9 2008, 03:50 PM

[AEK Chicago]

Don't get carried away here guys.

James and Bryant are using these recent developments as leverage in potential contract negotiations with their teams (or others in the NBA).

A Greek (or any other) owner would have to be out of his mind to give a guy 50 million per annum. How are they going to recoup that? Especially without the TV and advertising revenues available to US sides.

And please, don't tell me so and so is rich, he can afford to. That's not how businesses are run. Nor is that how these people got so rich in the first place.

Hell, Mark Cuban is a billionaire also, and he's not throwing 50 million at anyone to play for Dallas.

The above being said, if somebody was stupid enough to give me 50 mil, I'd be on the first plane to wherever that 50 mil was coming from.

p.s. Kobe Bryant is living pretty large in LA. Not a bad place to be. Not much in Milano, Paris or Athens that he doesn't have in LA.

[SpiroK]

Come on. Less stressful? What do you think he does? Cook hamburgers at a busy diner. A superstar would be idiotic to trade the 4 season hotel, private jet, American celebrity, and living in Southern California to play in shithole arenas in Greece/Russia in front of violent fans.

[AEK Chicago]

Come on. Less stressful? What do you think he does? Cook hamburgers at a busy diner.

What's funny to me is how some people think these NBA players are leading shit lives here in the States.

First off, quite a few live and play in world class cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, LA, San Fransisco, Miami, Seattle, etc....

You don't find too many NBA franchises in Podunk, Iowa.

Secondly, even in cities like Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, Portland, etc... these guys are living large in exclusive residential areas with massive estates. And we're not talking Riga, Latvia or Kaunas, Lithuania here.

Glenn Robinson lives not too far from me, about 45 minutes outside of Chicago. You should see his house. And his rides.

I just don't get the logic of some people. Where do they think NBA franchises are located?

If in fact some of these guys go to Europe, what alternatives compare to say a NY or LA?

Maybe Athens, Barcelona, Paris, Rome? What else? How is living in Moscow any better than living in Cleveland, much the less LA? How is the weather in any of these cities better than LA or Miami?

This post has been edited by AEK Chicago: Aug 9 2008, 04:22 PM

[SpiroK]

I don't get it. Why would anyone think Moscow is some paradise to live in over Los Angeles? Sometimes I wonder if people in here say stupid stuff to get a reaction or they really believe that somehow the millionaire lifestyle in Greece is superior to the millionaire lifestyle in NYC.

[AEK Chicago]

My friend, the millionaire lifestyle in NYC is as good as it gets.



p.s. when you have a hidden agenda, stupid things tend to come out of your mouth.

This post has been edited by AEK Chicago: Aug 9 2008, 04:55 PM

[AEK Chicago]

Just for fun, I compiled a list of the NBA, Eurobasket League, and Greek bball league cities.

Here you go:

EUROLEAGUE:

Athens

Barcelona

Rome

Madrid

Thessaloniki

Piraeus

Vittoria

Malaga

Siena

Tel Aviv

Moscow

Istanbul

Belgrade

Kaunas

Vilnius

Outside of the first four, can anyone tell me which of the remaining cities can even remotely compare to the likes of:

Boston

Chicago

San Fransisco

LA

Miami

New York

Washington DC

not to mention the fact that you also have warm weather locales like Orlando and Phoenix in the league, if weather is your thing.

Or several other big cities like Philly, Toronto, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Portland, San Antonio that would put the likes of Kaunas, Vilnius, Belgrade, etc... to shame.

Or maybe we could go to the Greek League where a bballer can look forward to living in Larisa or Rethymno?

[biancoverde]

I think you are maybe right about leveraging contracts for NBA, but its not outside the realm of possibility for it to happen. It sounds much more likely they are going for more money to keep them in the NBA then it does going to Gavros or CSKA...I dont beleive it will, but I feel that this sort of thing is bound to happen eventually (NBA superstar leaving for mega money in european teams)

The similar example would be David Beckham in the MLS who nobody in Europe would pay 100 million contract for him.

I dont beleive 50 million on any player for a single year is a smart idea at all. But, guys like Angelopoulos and owners of Russian teams are not making their fortunes via basketball.... If there are teams out there want to do it even not making full money back and pay out of their pocket, I wont be too suprised at all.

But your are right. There is nothing in MILAN that Kobe doesnt have in LA thats for sure Living in LA is everyday life for Kobe....He did grow up in Italy and may want to live there again...Thats likley a personal thing not an LA vs Milan thing. Abroad has its own appeal too is the point I am making. I dont think AJ Milano have 50 million to spend on a whole team let alone 1 player.

It would not suprise me if these guys went abroad - weather its for change of life, solely money, travel, new medals for their award cabinet etc -------. It would suprise me if he went at an age where they are still in their prime, instead opposed to waiting till they get older past their prime....

Come on. Less stressful? What do you think he does? Cook hamburgers at a busy diner. A superstar would be idiotic to trade the 4 season hotel, private jet, American celebrity, and living in Southern California to play in shithole arenas in Greece/Russia in front of violent fans.

No, I think these guys are the biggest names in the league, going to practices every day, constantly on the move, playing with huge stakes for championships and having 3 league games a week...

Compared to playing the routine of a player in Europe, 1 game per week

Also life in general for a superstar athlete in Greece is just less stressful than being in the NBA. Your at home more, theres not the celebrity paparazzi everywhere etc. I dont think theres much of a comparison.

I don't get it. Why would anyone think Moscow is some paradise to live in over Los Angeles? Sometimes I wonder if people in here say stupid stuff to get a reaction or they really believe that somehow the millionaire lifestyle in Greece is superior to the millionaire lifestyle in NYC.

Um......
I meant Moscow compared WITH ATHENS MWRE.....
Moscow over LA??? I have been to Moscow man and have relatives in LA who love life there. So Im pretty sure thats not what I said. Going to the beach everyday and enjoying Greece laid back - or Moscow....

The whole point was Greece was at an ADVANTAGE to get these guys as we have a big league that has an appealing place to live. If your leaving the NBA for Europe, are you seriously going to have trouble weather choosing to live in Moscow or Mediteranean??? No, and thats what I said.

[SpiroK]

Fair enough. I thought you were comparing Moscow with Los Angeles.

[AEK Chicago]

David Beckham is another story altogether.

The LEAGUE, not the LA Galaxy, pays his salary via advertising revenues.

That is the advantage the US has over other parts of the world.

It doesn't make any sense whatsoever for a businessman, American OR Greek, to pay 50 MIL for one player, no matter how much money he has.

[biancoverde]

Just for fun, I compiled a list of the NBA, Eurobasket League, and Greek bball league cities.

Here you go:

EUROLEAGUE:

Athens

Barcelona

Rome

Madrid

Thessaloniki

Piraeus

Vittoria

Malaga

Siena

Tel Aviv

Moscow

Istanbul

Belgrade

Kaunas

Vilnius

Outside of the first four, can anyone tell me which of the remaining cities can even remotely compare to the likes of:

Boston

Chicago

San Fransisco

LA

Miami

New York

Washington DC

not to mention the fact that you also have warm weather locales like Orlando and Phoenix in the league, if weather is your thing.

Or several other big cities like Philly, Toronto, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Portland, San Antonio that would put the likes of Kaunas, Vilnius, Belgrade, etc... to shame.

Or maybe we could go to the Greek League where a bballer can look forward to living in Larisa or Rethymno?

Actually I have heard the Baltics are quite nice, clean places with friendly people and quite stable. This is no the USSR and a few post communist countries have come a ways since then economically. But no, I wouldnt want to live there esp considering the opitons in europe and USA....


None of those cities like Vilinus, Belgrade etc have the money and realistically were talking Greece, Spain, Russia, Israel, Turkey are the only ones who could get NBA players, and for big big names like Lebron - if ANY it would be Greece, Russia, Spain...

As for Pireaus - you must be joking if you seriously think that big basketball stars from America live in Pireaus... Theyre all living in Voula/Vouliagmeni, which are great little areas away from the city but not too detached peaceful, right by the coast. I recently heard Ten Cate moved to Voula, and is enjoying it quite a bit so far.



As for your list - you have preferences and other peoples obviously differ.

Id personally take Malaga, Istanbul or Orlando over DC and Boston in a heartbeat. Id take most places in Europe, over DC in a heartbeat. Chicago I never seen, but its too far inland for me and i heard its quite cold...downtown is probably fun place, and i hear they have best hot dogs in the world ...but i seriously dont think i could pick it over someplace like Malaga or Istanbul...

You forgot Treviso (Bennetton) which is right near Venice. Not in Euroleague this year, but traditionally a bigger team in Italy..

[plato-ny]

For those of you that think its wrong for a player to receive 40-50 million dollars from a team for one year, consider Michael Jordan who was receiving annual salaries of roughly 30 million dollars a year during the mid 90's with the peak salary being 33 million in his last year in a Bulls Jersey. That amount, which Jordan earned 10 years ago, with the inflation adjustmet, is just about what Lebron and Kobe would be receiving annually

Even if the salary cap is increased, an NBA team is not going to give Lebron or Kobe huge annual contracts and surround them with subpar players who making hardly any money even if what these 2 are doing is for leverage.

[AEK Chicago]

Jordan is Jordan. There will only be one Jordan.

And the Chicago Bulls have a much greater ability to create much greater revenue than any team in Europe.

[biancoverde]

Create Revenue yes...... but have owners and 'investors' sheer incomprehensive amounts of money and want to flaunt it to show the world they are big shots like in Russia ---- they dont have.

[greekh0ttie]

I don't see that happening anytime soon LOL

[THRYLOS FANATIC]

2 words people.jarogmar jagr.hes going to russia even though hes still a great player.maybe not like he was 5 years ago but still top 10.i also never thought that but now people will go where the money is.and believe me they can make huge endorsements in europe too.the life is better too.less games,free taxes and housing and ure near the best poutanes of the world,russia,check,poland lol

[SpiroK]

Jagr is old and washed up. He's nowhere near top 10. Apparently Jagr has lost a lot of money in gambling debts in Atlantic City so he's desperate for cash. That is the only way to explain moving from NYC to Siberia.

[KOUDAStheGREAT]

That sounds like when Pippen played for the best Finnish powerhouse team in the Finnish league. Kobe and Lebron would probably follow suit in a similar fashion old and in debt, unlikely since they have big contracts.