Kobe Bryant doesn’t rule out playing overseas during NBA lockout

In addition to attending Saturday’s Manchester United and F.C. Barcelona exhibition on Saturday as an ambassador for Turkish Airlines, Kobe Bryant was expected to meet with executives from Besiktas this weekend in the nation’s capital to discuss playing overseas for the Turkish team during the NBA lockout.

According to the Los Angeles Lakers star, the meeting never happened.

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No deal.

“To be honest with you, that’s the first time I’m hearing those things. So, I’ll let you decipher what that means, but a lot of that stuff is news to me.” Bryant said during a news conference on Sunday. “I haven’t spoken to them in weeks.”

Bryant didn’t, however, count out suiting up for any team overseas while the NBA owners and players — scheduled to meet on Monday in New York for the first time in the month-old lockout — attempt to reach an agreement.

“I’m just waiting on my phone to ring,” Bryant said. “Here it is. I’ll play anywhere. I grew up overseas, so I’m comfortable being overseas. So if [a team] wants to pick up the phone and give me a call and wants me to come and play, I’ll definitely listen.”

Bryant said he felt healthier than he did last season after undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy on his ailing right knee earlier this month in Germany, where he had his blood taken, spun in a centrifuge and injected around the point of injury for natural healing. On Sunday, Bryant participated in the fourth annual Celebrity Soccer Challenge to raise awareness and funds for bone marrow diseases, hosted by former U.S. women’s soccer team member Mia Hamm and all-star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at Kastles Stadium. In a bevy of celebrities, including U.S. women’s soccer player Ali Krieger and Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, Bryant stood out in front of an almost packed stadium filled with yellow and gold, scoring an own goal in the first half before scoring a goal for his team in the second half.

“Right now, I feel like I have a lot more years left than I did last season — I feel as good as I felt in years,” said Bryant, who will turn 33 later this month. “I feel really young. I feel springy. I feel light. I feel like I have a substantial amount of years than I did last year.”

If Bryant agrees to play overseas, the FIBA schedule format — normally two games a week — will help him and his NBA colleagues stay in shape until the lockout is lifted.

By the time Bryant returns to the Lakers, pending resolution of the NBA’s lockout, the team will look different. The organization has already hired Mike Brown as its new coach. The team’s roster may also be in flux following last season after being denied a three-peat as NBA champions when the Dallas Mavericks swept the Lakers in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen after the lockout in terms of what management wants to do with the team or what trades and vice versa,” Bryant said. “Right now, it’s kind of wait until the dust settles.”