Kobe shows support for Galatasaray

Kobe Bryant said he became a Galatasaray fan after he attended a training session of the Turkish football team on Sunday.


"Bryant wears a Galatasaray shirt as he attends a training session of the team."



The American basketball superstar was at Türk Telekom Arena as part of his visit to Istanbul, organized by his sponsor Nike. Bryant opened a basketball court and took part in a basketball tournament named Own The Court (Sahayı Ele Geçir) before visiting the Istanbul team during its training match.

“From now on, I am a Galatasaray fan,” said Bryant, who has been a transfer target for Beşiktaş, an archrival of Galatasaray.

Bryant took three penalty shots against Galatasaray goalkeeper Ufuk Ceylan but scored only one of them.

Turkish teams went for NBA players during the lockout, and the Los Angeles Lakers guard was one of them. He had offers from China, Turkey and Italy, and said he was still pondering those options.

Beşiktaş Milangaz has signed New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams and center Semih Erden due to the lockout, while Ersan İlyasova and Mehmet Okur signed contracts with Efes and Telekom.