Epress.am News from Armenia
Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom (pictured) has reached an agreement in principle to sign with Besiktas of Turkey, according to sources close to Odom.
Final details will not be sorted out before Friday, sources said, but Odom has indicated that he plans to join the Istanbul-based team as early as next week if the NBA lockout continues.
Sources told ESPN.com that the deal would pay Odom in excess of $2 million if he spends the rest of the season with Besiktas. The deal will include an opt-out clause to return to the NBA as soon as the lockout ends.
Odom, the husband of Khloe Kardashian (pictured), turned 32 earlier this month and is well-regarded in Turkish basketball circles following his strong role in Team USA’s FIBA World Championship’s gold-medal win last summer in Istanbul.
“Despite the fact that his wife, Khloe Kardashian, has Armenian roots, Odom’s reality show with Kardashian airs in Turkey and is said to be popular there,” writes ESPN’s Marc Stein.
Recall, Khloe is the sister of socialite, actress Kim Kardashian, who has been quite vocal in criticizing Turkish and US authorities for not recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
Furthermore, earlier this year, Turkish Airlines (THY) signed Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant as its “global brand ambassador” for the next two years. Bryant’s latest endorsement deal resulted in outrage by Armenian-American fans, who wrote letters to the Lakers guard, urging him to break his contract with the national air carrier of a country that has not recognized the Armenian Genocide.