The arrival of Kobe Bryant in Italy has now become an authentic case. The operation, conceived by the patron of Virtus Bologna Claudio Sabatini, is increasingly taking on the contours of yellow. The first hypothesis envisaged a 40-day stay of the American star in our championship. A series of logistical obstacles, above all the reorganization of the calendar, reduced Sabatini's plans. Until yesterday Bryant's participation in the opening match of the Italian championship, between Virtus and Benetton, seemed almost certain. However, the very short time necessary to define the tessellation of the US star has changed the scenarios again.
Indeed, today's news reveals that Italian fans will have to settle for a luxury friendly match between Bologna and Treviso, the "Kobe Night" on 12 October. Sabatini explained that “a tribute evening for Bryant will be organised. At the moment this is the most probable eventuality. Being a friendly match and not an official match we will also be able to sell the international rights to the match which will all go into the coffers of Virtus and will not be shared with Legabasket”.
Words that represent a dig at the other Italian clubs, which from the beginning had shown great perplexity in accepting the relocation of some championship rounds or the transfer to more capacious arenas. The event would be broadcast in 80 countries, but it is certainly not comparable to the American basketball player's participation in official matches. Sabatini, however, still cultivates the dream of keeping him longer. “We accepted his economic requests and sent him a couple of offers for just one game and for forty days, now we're waiting for the contract. In the meantime, it would already be wonderful to have him here for just one game, then we will continue to work to bring him back to Bologna for longer".
The signing is expected in the night and the operation should be around 2,3 million dollars just for the friendly. The figure will be reached thanks to the contribution of sponsors such as Legacoop, Unindustria, Technogym and Pizzoli. This is the last window to see Bryant treading Italian parquet. In fact, time does not allow for other openings.
