Kobe Bryant has two years left on his contract with the Lakers, and after playing just six games last season, it would seem reasonable to believe that once those two years have elapsed, that his time in the league will be done.
Since retirement from basketball is not all that far off, Bryant has an eye on what’s next, and regularly contacts titans of industry to pick their brains on how they built their businesses, and how they run their companies.
Bryant also grew up in Italy, where soccer is ingrained in the culture. And he may be looking to merge his childhood experiences with an upcoming business opportunity.
From Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times:According to La Gazzetta, attorney Joe Tacopina is trying to put together an ownership team featuring the Lakers All-Star guard, along with Montreal Impact (MLS) owner Joey Saputo.
Bologna’s largest shareholder, Albano Guaraldi, is reportedly looking to sell the franchise, which has struggled in recent years.It’s clear there’s a level of interest from Bryant here, but a lot goes into bidding for ownership of a sports franchise at the professional level. If it ends up not happening for some reason, at least he’s got a couple more seasons as a player to fall back on before he will truly need to fill the void with something else.