TIM KAWAKAMI , Times Staff Writer

Laker star Kobe Bryant, who spent part of his adolescence
in Italy, says he's returning to his roots, but only in a way a
21-year-old, cross-cultural multimillionaire could possibly
pull off.

In what is believed to be an unprecedented move for an
active player of any U.S. sport, the fourth-year Laker guard
announced Monday that he has purchased a 50% interest
in Milan-based Olimpia Milano, one of the top professional
teams in Europe and one of the teams he followed closely
during the seven years he lived in Italy while his father, Joe,
was a star player there.

With the deal, which involved
more than $1 million from Bryant,
Joe was named an executive vice
president of the team and will
spend at least two weeks every
month in Milan.

Kobe Bryant said he will spend a few weeks every summer
in Milan, and that the Bryants have been given operational
control. Current Olimpia owner Pasquale Caputo will retain
50%, said Bryant's agent, Arn Tellem of SFX Sports.

"I never wanted to follow in somebody else's footsteps--I
wanted to let my destiny kind of unfold and what happens,
happens; and if I like it, I go with it, if I don't, I won't go with
it," Bryant said Monday.

"I've never been the type to say, 'OK, let's look at past
history and see what happened and follow suit.' I've never
done that.

"This is something I wanted to do, and I'm doing it. It felt
right from the beginning."

Tellem said Caputo contacted him a few months ago about a
smaller deal, but that he and the Bryants quickly decided to
expand the possibilities.

For the last two years that the Bryants lived in Italy--when
Kobe was in seventh and eighth grades--they lived just
outside Milan, and Bryant said his best and deepest
memories of Europe are of his time there, watching Bob
McAdoo lead Olimpia to several championships.

"I remember them being very, very tough," Bryant said.
"They won year after year after year. I think, when I was
there, they were going after their third or fourth consecutive
Italian championship, with McAdoo. . . .

"I thought this would be a good opportunity to kind of
open the door, and kind of reach back to my roots."

Considering Bryant's endorsement relationships with
Adidas, Columbia Records, Nintendo and several other
international companies, Tellem said, Milan is the right spot
for Bryant's European interests.

But Bryant said he was more interested in Olimpia's
struggles this season. The Bryants' first move was to sign
former NBA and UCLA guard Pooh Richardson, who led
Olimpia to a recent victory.

"We're 5-8 right now," Bryant said. "We have to acquire
some key personnel, make some key additions, you know,
turn this thing around a little bit."

Said Tellem to Bryant, "You can be like the Jerry West of
Italy."

Answered Bryant immediately, with a smile, "I doubt I'll be
stressed out like he is. I might, though, I don't know."

Bryant said he didn't necessarily think that this is a step
toward possibly owning an NBA team after he retires--he
can't own any part of an NBA team while active--since he
had always planned to live in Italy when his career was
over.

"I always wanted to live in Italy," he said. "I always wanted
to raise my kids and have my family in Italy. So when my
NBA career is done, all goes well, God willing, I'll be over
there, hands on."