Kobe Bryant will play his last professional basketball game on April 13 against the Utah Jazz. If things had gone FC Barcelona’s way, though, that would’ve just been Kobe’s last NBA game before truly wrapping up his career in Europe. According to ESPN and the Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona offered Kobe a contract last summer after he said he’d love to finish up his career playing for the club.
Last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers’ five-time NBA champion was offered a contract by European club FC Barcelona and a chance to extend his basketball career overseas, but Bryant politely turned the offer down, according to a report in Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo.
Senior officials at the Catalan club ramped up their overtures toward Bryant after hearing him talk about ending his basketball career with Spanish big man Pau Gasol at the club that doubles as his favorite soccer team, according to the report.
Mundo Deportivo said Bryant passed on an offer from Barcelona to compete exclusively for the club in the more high-profile Euroleague games, which pit up to 18 of the best basketball teams in Europe against one another every season.
Even though the Euroleague isn’t the same level of competition as the NBA, FC Barcelona is among the best non-NBA teams in the world. They play at an extremely high level against equally high-level opponents. This wouldn’t be a case of Michael Beasley or Stephon Marbury going to China and dominating — Kobe would likely struggle as much in the Euroleague as he has this year, even if he only played in 18 games.
That’s probably one of the reasons Kobe turned down the contract. Sure, he wants to pursue his non-basketball business interests, but he’s also very cognizant of his image. Kobe’s affinity for and history with the Euroleague aside — his father played in Italy — struggling overseas against lower-level competition probably wouldn’t reflect well on the mythos of the Mamba. Instead, he’ll finish out this season and ride off into the sunset, leaving basketball behind for new ventures.
(ESPN and Mundo Deportivo)
