K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:
|
Late in the regular season, Brian Scalabrine told the Tribune he might play in Europe next season as his professional career enters its final few seasons.
Now that the NBA will lockout its players beginning at 11:01 p.m. Chicago time Thursday night, Scalabrine’s plans will be set in motion quickly.
“For me personally, if in the next 15 days it’s still kind of like it is now, I’m just going to Europe and play,” Scalabrine said in a phone interview. “The thing about that is you have to commit for the whole year and you have no out clauses whatsoever. I support the players and the union and want to see the (NBA) game stay great. But at the end of the day, with two years or so left of playing basketball, I’m not interested in watching billionaires fight. I just like the game too much. I like the camaraderie. I like to play. So why not do it in a great city in Europe and educate my family?”
Scalabrine, who would be an NBA free agent whenever the lockout ends, said there are seven or eight European teams interested in signing him and that he’s in the process of securing his passport and possibly getting Italian citizenship. He said it’s likely he would play in Italy.
