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NBA basketball player LeBron James of the Miami Heat gestures to his fans as he walks along Nanjing road, the main shopping area in Shanghai August 17, 2011. James is on a promotional tour in Asia, visiting Taipei, Chengdu, Xi'an and Shanghai. Photograph by: Joe Tan, REUTERS
BY SHANDEL RICHARDSON, MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS, FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — At the time, Antonio Davis felt at a strong disadvantage. Davis, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, began his career in 1990 with Panathinaikos in the Greek League. His first taste of foreign life was anything but enjoyable.
"Back then, there was no Internet and all that," Davis said. "I couldn’t get online and email somebody or Skype somebody. My biggest bill was my phone bill. You had to overcome missing your family and missing all the amenities of being in the United States. ... It’s a little bit easier now."
With communication just the click of a computer mouse away, the appeal of playing overseas is greater. Players no longer have to worry about being isolated from friends and family, which is why several NBA stars are contemplating a change of scenery during the lockout. They range from big names such as the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Heat guard Dwyane Wade to lesser-known players who just want to keep a steady paycheck while both sides in the labor dispute try to reach an agreement.
"I’d tell them just to enjoy the experience," said former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, who is preparing for his third season in China.
China is one of the countries where teams are rumored to be interested in several players, including Bryant and Wade. New Jersey guard Deron Williams has agreed to a one-year contract to play in Turkey if the lockout continues, and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant will announce Oct. 1 whether he plans to play in Europe.
Marbury, who has played overseas since 2010, said the players would be foolish to turn down the opportunity. He flies close friends and relatives to China to prevent being homesick. Marbury then spends the offseason in New York City, where he grew up.
"You get to compete in the game that’s the love of your life while you’re embracing another culture," Marbury said. "You’ll be a different person when you come back. It’s different. There’s nothing else I can say about it. It’s my second home. I could literally live over there."
Marbury has also used the opportunity to boost his global marketing. He’s trying to expand "Starbury," his shoe and clothing line. Davis said that could be the biggest appeal for stars such as Wade, Bryant or the Heat’s LeBron James.
"With each guy, it’s a different situation," said Davis, a one-time All-Star who is now an analyst with NBATV. "If I’m a LeBron James or Kobe Bryant and I have a chance to go to China, yeah, I’m going. That is just a huge business deal to go over there and spend a couple of months, meeting some of the right people and have some of the right things going."
Davis said younger players would benefit the least because "they’re going because they’re anxious to play." It may not be worth dealing with learning a new culture and struggling because of the language barrier. Davis remembers being fortunate to have an English-speaking teammate who told him to buy gas days before an upcoming fuel strike.
Former NBA coach Eric Musselman has grown accustomed to the foreign way of life, coaching national teams in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and China. He said the experience will call for an adjustment period.
"You are away from family and friends," Musselman said. "Little things you take for granted in (the United States), like buying a newspaper. Even something as simple as trying to plug something in, you need a converter. You have one or two English-speaking TV stations .You can be in a hotel or apartment with no one else that speaks English but maybe one teammate."
© Copyright (c) McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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