Kobe Bryant is willing to listen to overseas offers, sources close to him told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday. Those could come out of Europe or the Far East, and, yes, even Istanbul, the gateway bridging Europe and Asia.

It isn’t lost on Besiktas that Bryant spent much of his youth living in Italy, that his marketing machine is strong in Europe where he’s afforded an unparalleled popularity among basketball stars.

The organization knows this too: Turkish Airlines, who signed Bryant to a global endorsement deal this year, might want to play a part in bringing the team and star together. As Ataman said, a sponsor – not the organization – would be paying Williams’ contract. Perhaps Turkish Airlines could be Besiktas’ benefactor for Bryant?