A U.S. National Basketball Association player Kobe Bryant said he was astonished and pleased with Turkish people's interest in himself.***
ISTANBUL
NBA player said on Monday that he was astonished and pleased with Turkish people's interest in himself.
Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant said he had heard good things about Turkey before he visited the country, and he was having good days in Turkey.
He had seen a country more perfect than his expectations, Bryant told AA correspondent in an exclusive interview.
Kobe Bryant is visiting Turkey as part of Europe tour organized by Nike company. He inaugurated two basketball courts in Istanbul on Sunday.
Bryant said he was playing basketball with children and he was sharing his basketball experience with kids during this tour.
NBA player Bryant said he was not hurrying about an offer from Turkey's Besiktas team to play in Turkey, and he was receiving proposals from other teams.
But, he would re-consider the issue due to the affection and support he had seen in Istanbul, Bryant said.
Bryant said his visit to Istanbul was a good coincidence after he got an offer from Besiktas, and thus he had the opportunity to see Turkey.
Kobe Bryant said he found Turkish players at the NBA very successful, and he was acquainted with Mehmet Okur and Hidayet Turkoglu.
Bryant said he had good relations with Okur and Turkoglu, who both had good performances and who were challenging him in games.
Kobe Bryant also suggested that young players should do their best in their profession.
An American professional basketball player, Kobe Bryant plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. As of July 2011, Bryant ranks third and sixth on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.