Kobe Bryant and his agent Rob Pelinka are having preliminary talks about an exhibition tour, which would take place in China this summer during the lockout. Bryant would be the face of the tour, accompanied by several other NBA stars who would then form two or three powerhouse teams– well, at least according to Timberwolves rookie forward, Derrick Williams.
Williams, who is also represented by Pelinka, “conveniently” reported to the L.A. Times that several clients of Pelinka’s agency, including himself, could possibly be involved in the tour. Ironically, Wililams statements surface just three days after he was picked as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. However a final selection has not and will not been made until the lockout is over.
So if this isn’t just a publicity stunt by Williams to stay relevant , then I don’t think he will be invited to anymore “preliminary talks” about the tour, as I highly doubt they were ready for the media to get ahold of this story, because Pelinka declined to comment. This may be due to the fact that Pelinka’s agency lists 18 NBA players as clients, including Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo and Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer.
Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers is also a client. However, he may have a conflict of interests if he decides to participate, seeing as how he is also the president of the NBA players union. Which in case you have been sleep under a rock, is currently in a huge, lengthy labor dispute with the owners of the league.
