NBA Rumors: Kobe Bryant Agrees to Deal in China with Shanxi Zhongyu

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Kobe Bryant is reportedly on his way to China if the NBA lockout continues into November.

According to the Chinese website Sohu.com (via a translation from HoopsHype), Bryant has agreed to a contract to play for Shanxi Zhongyu of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) beginning November 1 if the lockout continues.

The news comes at somewhat curious timing, considering that the CBA is set to vote on rules this week surrounding the banning of NBA out-clauses and limit teams to just one current NBA player per team, so it will be very interesting to see how any and all rule changes may have an impact on Bryant's reported agreement.

If true, it's not all that surprising that Bryant would pursue an international endeavor in China, as his brand is absolutely huge there.

Earlier this summer, the superstar went as far as to refer to China as a "home away from home" according to the Los Angeles Times, and his departure overseas would make for the second Lakers player to reach an agreement with an international club.

It had been reported that Bryant's representatives were pursuing his options in Brazil as recently as just a couple of days ago, but it sounds as if that is no longer on the table.

Bryant had a reported offer of $1.5 million per month from an unspecified Chinese team according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, but as Wojnarowski notes, Bryant was seeking an NBA-out clause in any potential deal in China.

It's going to really interesting to see how this story unfolds when more details become available, but on the surface, it sounds as if Bryant could very potentially be playing in his home away from home without a resolution on the labor front stateside.

While it's highly unlikely that Bryant would agree to any deal that didn't include an out clause, it's clear that there is a legitimate basketball market in China.

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