Kobe Bryant speaks Italian. The Lakers new Ukranian rookie, Stanislev Medvedenko, can now whoop a slam dunk in his native Russian. The arrogance they show. In Italy, where a scattered crowd of 3,500 attend local basketball games, Kobe is king, journalists say. In Germany, where the Lakers and the Boston Celtics were for years the only two teams known to fans, Shaq reigns supreme.
Basketball is the rage among Chinese young people.
And in Japan, where baseball remains the national pastime, the NBA is close behind, said Hideaki Yamamoto, of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. While catching the Lakers, foreign audiences no doubt cued in on Los Angeles. Where finals fashion meant low-rise jeans. And where classic American entrepreneurs outside the game pushed Lakers furniture, Lakers cell phones and where a band of strippers passing out coupons for post-game shows at local gentlemen's clubs. Many foreign correspondents, however, seemed less impressed by the Los Angeles L.A.-ness than its basketball powerhouse.