Then just last week, Carlos Arroyo announced he's doing the same thing. The Orlando Magic guard singed a three year contract with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, an Israeli team, worth $2.5 million. It's the richest contract in Maccabi history, plus Arroyo has the option of opting out and returning to the NBA after one season. He joins Rodney White, a former Pistons team mate of Arroyo, who signed with Maccabi previously.
Now today, free agent guard Earl Boykins announced that he's signed a one year, $3.5 million deal with Virtus Bologna of the Italian league. Boykins will be the highest paid player in Italy for the 2008-09 season where he will also assist with sponsorship and marketing of the team. According to the Canadian Press, also last month, Nenad Kerstic left the Nets and Carlos Delfino and Jorge Garbajosa left the Raptors to sign with a Russian team.
Both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James joked around with reporters saying they would play overseas for salaries worth $40 and $50 million a year. Seriously though, some of those Euro teams have some cash in their back pockets, and with the Euro being worth more than the dollar, will we lose more NBA players to Euroleagues?
Comments: (16)
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By: Mario Jackson on 8/07/2008 11:29AM
Take the money and run! There is no preference in whether you sell your body to the NBA or abroad. Why would Lebron or Kobe not take 2-3 years overseas and get $150 million and then come back to the NBA one year before the next Olympics? The Euro is stronger than the dollar and can be converted for more money. You only have one body and one life. Just put it in these terms...If you were an engineer in the USA and you were making $150,000 and someone came to you and offered to pay you $1,000,000 to work abroad, what would you do? Keep it real!!!
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By: LAWDHAVMURCY on 8/07/2008 10:42AM
NBA's best interest is to ante up or be out of buisness!LOL
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By: LAWDHAVMURCY on 8/07/2008 10:47AM
NBA's best interest is to ante up or be out of business.
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By: James Ervin on 8/07/2008 12:40PM
This is what happens when the Commissioner David Stern wants basketball to be global. I'm not saying it shouldn't be, but this is definitely an extension of it, although unexpected.
Personally I think the European teams are gearing up for future olympics. Don't be surprised if they start offering the players citizenship as well. What better way to increase the chances of winning gold than having American basketball players.
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By: Laymen Konvurse on 8/13/2008 6:32PM
we may lose some more star players, but the NBA doesn't care; as this was the whole calamity of taking our (U.S.) jobs overseas--thereby bringing in more white players from the "Queen's" slave funded Europe.
Unemployed everyday citizens end-up going to prison behind the U.S's jobs overseas schism; while our best Black Athletes taking multi-million dollar deals globally, will rightfully hurt the U.S. leagues. They don't deserve our players. If the U.S. news isn't denigrating them, they're trading them like...
I'll bet the UK isn't shaming them in their media?
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By: greg on 8/08/2008 12:30AM
They are already offering American players citizenship. I know of atleast one american WNBA player who is playing for a foreign team. and one NBA player playing for Germany. he was given citizenship status because his great grandparents was German,. I can see this to be a growing trend. Thanks David Stern
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By: JERRY on 8/11/2008 8:40PM
THEY GET PAY TO MUCH KNOW
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By: jet tri on 8/12/2008 12:51AM
any player is entitled if they are a free agent to sign with any team he or she wishes to sign with. as they say in the nba it's all about business anyway. if we can get their players its fair for them to play in the same ball park as us.
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By: cynthia on 8/12/2008 12:59PM
Russia has a male and female american on their national team roster and they have NO Russian history. It will increase no doubt as the years go on. Money talks. Personally I could not feel proud representing a country that I had NO history with. To each their own!
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By: Randy on 8/12/2008 8:49PM
Hey it's really be coming a world game.
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