NBA stars face roadblock to play in China
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant has offers north of $1.5 million a month to play in China, and sources say he’d be inclined to accept a contract except for the one immense hurdle standing in his way: Chinese Basketball Association officials will likely pass a rule in the middle of this week forbidding the signing of players with NBA opt-out clauses.
Bryant is the biggest star deep in negotiations with China, but he isn’t alone. San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker(notes) has been engaged in serious talks, too, sources tell Yahoo! Sports, but it won’t matter if China lays down legislation that could be crippling to the signing of NBA stars.
Chinese officials want to derail the prospect of rent-a-players for the lockout. That would leave a far smaller pool of NBA free agents available to sign, and those players will have to commit to playing a full season in the Far East. If the lockout ends, they can’t return to the NBA until the Chinese season ends in mid-March.
The NBA has a cozy relationship with China, a partnership worth a great deal of money for both sides. Privately, some agents and officials wonder how much the NBA could be influencing China to steer clear of players under contract. With the European market so lean, China offers NBA stars the best chance, the most leverage, to recoup a fraction of the money they’ll lose once the checks stop coming in November. For all the mistrust of NBA commissioner David Stern and the owners, there are still people who say the Chinese Basketball Association isn’t fond of Stern, and wouldn’t let itself be pressured, or swayed, by him.
Several agents told Yahoo! Sports quality unrestricted and restricted free agents are asking them to find jobs in China. Several players who could command free-agent deals north of $20 million, even $30 million, when the lockout ends are privately telling agents they’re willing to sign in China without opt-out clauses. That’s a high-risk move, especially when an injury playing for $1 million, or less, could cost a player tens of millions later
