Kobe Bryant is trying to get a deal done that would let him to be able to play in Italy for a few basketball games, while the NBA lockout is still going on. Some people may wonder why it would be a good idea to go play for a foreign country he knows nothing about. Well that is not that case here. Kobe lived in Italy between the ages of 6 and 13 while his father played basketball there. He is fluent in English, so it would not be totally out of his comfort zone to live there for a few weeks or even months.

               Virtus Bologna is trying to get Kobe to join their team. They have reportedly offered him a little over $3 million dollars to play in 10 games for them. If they can’t get him for 10 games, they will try to pay him on a per-game basis. Since the NBA has cancelled the first 2 weeks of the regular season already, this could help Bryant actually land a deal. Of course, Kobe is not there to stay in Italy, as any deal he makes will allow him to return back to the NBA following the lockout. Kobe has been offered contracts by other teams of course, only to reject them.

               Kobe is the biggest named played to be this close to actually getting a deal done to play in another country. Will Kobe actually go through with this, even if it’s just for a few games? Maybe this is just all for hype, but one thing is for sure; if Bryant gets this done and starts playing in Italy, don’t expect him to be the only big named played to go through with it.