Kobe Bryant achieved a lot in the NBA, and toward the end of his career, it seemed unlikely that the Los Angeles Lakers would be able to put contending rosters around him. Bryant was a worldly man, he spoke many languages and had spent part of his childhood in Italy.
So it’s no surprise to hear that Italian basketball club Virtus Bologna offered Bryant a massive bag to come play for them. It’s unthinkable in hindsight to see Kobe playing overseas, but it wasn’t impossible. And during the NBA lockout of 2011, they tried to tempt him with a ridiculous amount of money.
“But as the NBA lockout drags on, many antsy players have been wooed by deep-pocketed teams overseas and Bryant is no exception,” CBS reported in September of 2011. “Now, Virtus Bologna has offered the Lakers superstar double what he currently makes: $600,000 per game. That’s $12,500 per minute or about $200 per second.”
During the 2011-12 season, Kobe Bryant was set to make over $25 million from the Lakers, which came down to about $300,000 per game. Virtus was ready to double his salary, which would be a massive amount in a year where it was hard to say when the NBA season would begin.
Of course, Kobe Bryant never ended up playing abroad, the lockout was resolved, and Bryant stayed a Laker till the day he retired. But it’s crazy to think how much money stars could make even today if they were willing to test international markets.
Kobe Bryant Did Almost Leave The Lakers In 2007
After Shaquille O’Neal left thanks to their explosive feud, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers were far from a championship team for the next 3 seasons. And while he didn’t go play abroad despite the money, Bryant did vocally demand a trade away from the Lakers in 2007.
“Not really, man. At this point, I’ll go play on Pluto right now. You know what I mean? I just want to – I just want to work hard, I just want to play, just enjoy the game of basketball, you know.”
It’s nice to think of Kobe Bryant as arguably the greatest Laker ever, and it was a title he earned. But he did have opportunities to leave the franchise, and he wanted to go as well. What Virtus didn’t realize, though, is that Kobe was chasing Michael Jordan’s throne as the GOAT, and he would end up making well over $300 million in the NBA.
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