Bryant Gets to Make and Call the Shots

Laker star Kobe Bryant, who spent part of his adolescence in Italy, says he’s returning to his roots, but only in a way a 21-year-old, cross-cultural multimillionaire could possibly pull off.

In what is believed to be an unprecedented move for an active player of any U.S. sport, the fourth-year Laker guard announced Monday that he has purchased a 50% interest in Milan-based Olimpia Milano, one of the top professional teams in Europe and one of the teams he followed closely during the seven years he lived in Italy while his father, Joe, was a star player there.

With the deal, which involved more than $1 million from Bryant, Joe was named an executive vice president of the team and will spend at least two weeks every month in Milan.

Kobe Bryant said he will spend a few weeks every summer in Milan, and that the Bryants have been given operational control. Current Olimpia owner Pasquale Caputo will retain 50%, said Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem of SFX Sports.

“I never wanted to follow in somebody else’s footsteps--I wanted to let my destiny kind of unfold and what happens, happens; and if I like it, I go with it, if I don’t, I won’t go with it,” Bryant said Monday.

“I’ve never been the type to say, ‘OK, let’s look at past history and see what happened and follow suit.’ I’ve never done that.

“This is something I wanted to do, and I’m doing it. It felt right from the beginning.”

Tellem said Caputo contacted him a few months ago about a smaller deal, but that he and the Bryants quickly decided to expand the possibilities.

For the last two years that the Bryants lived in Italy--when Kobe was in seventh and eighth grades--they lived just outside Milan, and Bryant said his best and deepest memories of Europe are of his time there, watching Bob McAdoo lead Olimpia to several championships.

“I remember them being very, very tough,” Bryant said. “They won year after year after year. I think, when I was there, they were going after their third or fourth consecutive Italian championship, with McAdoo. . . .

“I thought this would be a good opportunity to kind of open the door, and kind of reach back to my roots.”

Considering Bryant’s endorsement relationships with Adidas, Columbia Records, Nintendo and several other international companies, Tellem said, Milan is the right spot for Bryant’s European interests.

But Bryant said he was more interested in Olimpia’s struggles this season. The Bryants’ first move was to sign former NBA and UCLA guard Pooh Richardson, who led Olimpia to a recent victory.

“We’re 5-8 right now,” Bryant said. “We have to acquire some key personnel, make some key additions, you know, turn this thing around a little bit.”

Said Tellem to Bryant, “You can be like the Jerry West of Italy.”

Answered Bryant immediately, with a smile, “I doubt I’ll be stressed out like he is. I might, though, I don’t know.”

Bryant said he didn’t necessarily think that this is a step toward possibly owning an NBA team after he retires--he can’t own any part of an NBA team while active--since he had always planned to live in Italy when his career was over.

“I always wanted to live in Italy,” he said. “I always wanted to raise my kids and have my family in Italy. So when my NBA career is done, all goes well, God willing, I’ll be over there, hands on.”