Show me the money: Playing overseas growing in status

"Great basketball is great basketball, whether it's America, Europe or Asia," said Cavaliers forward LeBron James. James is among a handful of NBA superstars whom European teams are trying to lure away from America with exorbitant contracts. Thus far, as the NBA marches toward world conquest, the league has enjoyed a favorable trade imbalance in basketball's international marketplace, importing far more players than it has exported. Continental expansion is designed to mostly benefit the NBA, but as agent Lon Babby observed this week, "We've now learned that the path of globalization runs in both directions." The league's offseason free agency market has produced a mini-surge in overseas relocations by a handful of mostly young reserves seeking more compensation, court minutes and perhaps a life-altering experience. The... [read full story]