Many of the NBA’s finest are starting to realize that this lockout is not going to end in the near future and are weighing their options to ball it up overseas.
Recently, big names such as Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Ron Artest, Deron Williams and many other notable stars are becoming interested or have already signed to play outside of their time zone.
Most players do not want to wait for the season to start, if it ever does and they want to get their legs moving.
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What people don’t understand is that this lockout may be even more serious than the NFL lockout was, because it could force older players to retire if there is no season.
So where should the best of the NBA go to play and what country would best suit their needs?
Whether it’s their fan bases, their family, their heritage, or just their inkling to try the native cuisine, we have the best places for our favorite NBA ballers.
Check out which countries we think would be best for some of the greatest!
Above: Kevin Durant is supposedly in negotiations with a Turkish team and he won a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey, but we think it would be better for him to go the LNB, the French professional basketball league.
This would be a great move to just relax and maybe visit the Eiffel Tower when it’s not a gameday. Also, he can work on his relatively slender physique and find new strength under the tower’s shadow.
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Dirk Nowitzki is coming off an incredible championship and MVP-caliber season and what better way to celebrate that than to go home?
Dirk should go back to Germany to work on his fadeaway with his lifetime personal coach and the arena would be sold out whenever he plays for the local team.
Maybe he could also bring some real frankfurters back to Dallas for Mark Cuban to invest in.
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Superstar Kobe Bryant may be a spokesman for Turkish Airlines, but no need to waste time there when you can bring your brand to China.
Kobe is already very popular there since China is a huge fan base for the NBA and he won a gold medal there as part of the USA national team in 2008. Who knows, maybe they’ll even eat a black mamba in China?
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Dwyane Wade, who is part of the Big 3 in Miami, needs to get away from the scrutiny of losing the finals and the shadow above him.
He has already said that he cannot take a year off and what better way than to go to a place where nobody hates you and you can start off with a clean slate? This leaves us with Turkey.
Nobody will hold a grudge there and he can finally be on his own, plus there’s an all-star point guard in Deron Williams, who won’t steal the show.
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We all know Amar’e Stoudemire is a devout Jew and now it’s time to take off his blue cap and put on his Jew cap!
He visited the Holy Land last summer and it’s only a matter of time until he plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv this season.
Fellow neighbor from New Jersey, Israeli Jordan Farmar, has already signed with them.
This would be a great move for STAT and gain him fans all over the world. He could maybe even polish up on his Hebrew.
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LeBron James has a bigger image to fix than anyone else and that’s why he should not go anywhere, even if there is a lockout, unless they only play the 4th quarter.
All King James needs to do is work on his jumpshot in Miami, Akron, or wherever he wants to, and work on his clutch performance. Maybe he should visit Wade in Turkey if he ends up there, but only for three weeks, not four.
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New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony may have had enough with the lockout and that’s why he has to go overseas.
He and his wife La La Vazquez should make their way to Russia, not for the vodka, but to play on the national team in Serbia.
This would be a great experience for Carmelo and maybe he’ll even get to play against Amar’e in Israel. It can also help the Anthonys get used to a cold New York City winter coming up.
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Chris Paul does not even like being on the New Orleans Hornets, so now is the time to get moving. Paul should spin move all the way to Italy and showcase his talents there.
We’re sure the locals would love him and if he can spin a pizza pie as well as he can spin on the court, he’s definitely a lock.
