NBA players (especially internationally born) are fleeing the country to play for big contracts in international leagues at an alarming rate due to the NBA lockout. Andrei Kirilenko is no exception and announced yesterday that he has signed to return to Russia to play out a three year contract with CSKA Moscow. There is an NBA out clause however, but it has an expiry:
Andrei Kirilenko will wear the CSKA Moscow uniform again after a 10-year American stint. The versatile forward signed a multi-year deal with his former club and will make his Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut this season. Kirilenko (30 years old, 2.06 meters) has played the past decade for Utah in the NBA and has amassed an impressive heal of titles over that period, including leading the Russian national team to the gold medal at EuroBasket 2007. The terms of the contract are a three-year deal with an NBA return option that is valid for one month after the end of the NBA lockout. He underwent medical tests at the GMS Clinic on Monday and was scheduled to practice with the team for the first time Tuesday.