Lakers Rumors: Ron Artest says “Europe is definitely a real option”

Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest may be going to Europe after all. Recently, Artest told SLAM Magazine that he is open to playing in number of European countries due to the NBA lockout.

Europe is definitely a real option, and it seems more likely every day, Artest said.

He added, So far I'm looking at France, Spain, Finland, Greece, and the UK.

Several weeks ago, when the NBA was on the verge of an NBA lockout, Artest was rumored to be going to Finland to play for the LoKoKo Loimaa if the lockout went into September.

However, Artest's agent quickly denied the rumors saying that the flamboyant Lakers forward wanted to see how the lockout played out.

Now that the lockout is in full force, it appears that Artest is making serious considerations to playing in Europe

Many NBA players have been rumored to be looking at other options while a lockout is in effect. However, the concern with playing overseas is the risk of injury.

Artest signed a five year $33 million deal in 2009, helping the Lakers win a championship that year. An injury to Artest would be a blow to a team that was swept by the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs this year.

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