NBA superstar Kobe Bryant was in Istanbul last weekend to attend the openings of basketball courts and visited the NBA store in a shopping centre in Taksim.

Istanbul / NationalTurk – The 13-time NBA All Star,Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant attended inauguration ceremonies for two open-air basketball courts in Istanbul on Sunday among thousand of cheering fans who wanted the superstar.

Kobe Bryant and Istanbul Deputy Mayor attended two new open-air basketball courts in the Caddebostan neighborhood of Istanbul on the Asian side of the 15 million city. Kobe Bryant expressed that such facilities were important for training the youth and keeping the interest for basketball high.

Kobe Bryant in Istanbul : Besiktas offer still on the table, attends Galatasaray training

NBA superstar Kobe Bryant said he was still pondering Besiktas’s offer to sign him during the ongoing NBA lockout. stating his like of Turkish basketball. The 32-year-old, who is arguably the best basketball player in the world had earlier stated that playing overseas during the NBA locout could be exciting.

Later Kobe Bryant visited another Turkish soccer club Galatasaray Istanbul, training at the Turk Telekom Arena. He attended the training and showed again his goalkeeping skills in a penalty shootout. Kobe Byrant talked with Turkish side’s trainer Fatih Terim and took photos with some of the Galatasaray footballers. Kobe Bryant told in an earlier interview about soccer that he has started out at goalkeeper because his arms were so long.

Kobe Bryant :  $6.7 million offer from Italian team during NBA lockout

Meanwhile Kobe Bryant has been offered a $6.7 million, one-season contract to play for the Italian team Virtus Bologna, appealing to his childhood memories of growing up in Italy.

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