Vujacic Signing Shows League’s Strength Isn’t Fading

The fact that Sasha Vujacic turned down more lucrative offers from European teams in favor of re-signing with the Lakers shows that not every player is prepared to make the overseas jump, even if they hail from Europe.  A lot of people went into panic mode when Josh Childress left the NBA to play for more money in Greece, declaring it as a new trend that was about to explode.  At this point, Childress is pretty much a pioneer and it doesn’t appear that too many players are prepared to follow him.

The day after Childress signed with Olympiacos there were rumors about several players leaving the NBA for European teams, including Vujacic.  But the prestigious honor of playing in the NBA doesn’t seem to be lost on most players.  Childress made a financial decision and that’s his right, but don’t expect it to become commonplace.  If European-born players like Vujacic would rather play in the NBA for less financial compensation, it signals that the reputation the NBA has built as the premiere basketball league in the world has not faded.  Players will occasionally jump at the cash and play overseas, but expect it to be the exception more than the rule.

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