Kobe Comes Back With Counter Offer to Play for Italy

Pau Gasol laughing as Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest clown around on the bench in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Buongiorno, Kobe -- will you be playing for Italy this basketball season?

It looks like the question is still up in the air. CBS News reports that after being offered $6.7 million for the season -- or nearly $740,000 per game -- to play for Italy's Virtus Bologna, Bryant and his agent came back with a counter offer. They're asking for $15 million for the season, and an opt-out clause if the NBA lockout gets resolved.

Sportando.net reports that the counteroffer "shocked" Virtus Bologna owner Claudio Sabatini, who said that at that rate, he can afford to pay Kobe for about two months.