Claudio Sabatini really, really wants Kobe Bryant to play in Italy during the NBA lockout. He wants the Lakers star to come overseas so badly, in fact, that he’s taken to sending a letter to the leader of the free world.
Slam Online points out that Sabatini, the president of Virtus Bologna, continues to be relentless in his pursuit of drawing Byant to Italy. He took the next step recently when he decided to pen a letter to the White House to further express his request.
President Barack Obama recently expressed his disappointment with the fact that the NBA lockout has forced the league to cancel at least the first two weeks of the season.
BallinEurope.com cites an Italian report in which Bologna management linked Obama’s words with the reported movements of NBA players to European teams during the lockout. This prompted Sabatini to write a letter to the White House.
“I have written to the White House that it is not my intention to cast a shadow on the NBA by stealing their most important player,” he said. “It is just that I would like to give Bologna and all of Italian basketball the opportunity to enjoy the talent of this world-famous superstar.”
Sabatini reportedly offered Bryant $2 million just to play in a single game.
