their words are to live from moscow words five thirty pm these are the headlines palestinians face a new year nightmare israel warns of another deadly onslaught against war battered gaza hitting the region with renewed air strikes. iran says it's ready to strike ships sailing too close to its maneuvers near a vital oil route following its grants to walk passage if the west insists on tough sanctions. new leaders in the new libya the listeners calling the shots in the

post-revolutionary country are in no rush to disarm a trunk some fear might see another power struggle. next basketball star and break it down the talk starts today about what it takes for a russian athlete to become a sports celebrity away from home. how. is. always. always among the best in the world

but for the. twenty years ago many russians started to go abroad to play in the best. states a bit later russian club started making big bucks and they also started hiring the best athletes in the world. so so. what does it take to make a living to make a career in big sports we have a. person who made it both in russia and the united states. known. as a k forty. and. is a great success story he first played in russia. but didn't stay there for long. years he was. becoming the youngest european player. during the twelve years he spent

with jazz he was one of the team's best players with an annual salary of fifteen million dollars. he moved back to moscow to play for. the state. teams want to recruit him and keep making generous proposals. drain welcome to the show thank you very much for being with us well first of all you play in russia today and european basketball is generally considered to be softer than in the united states do you believe that's true after that game when you suffered a broken nose and a concussion is released after that in the states well i don't believe it's softer because you know the level of the basketball growing up every year and you know more and more and be a player players with the n.b.a. experience coming to europe and playing here it's different yes but i wouldn't say

it's softer. so it is a tough game gives you know people people doesn't want to lose either everybody fighting for every piece of on the floor and everybody competes hard so that's probably the same type of intensity. and be a pro dilemma will probably a little bit lower but you know you played in a team here in moscow in new year two thousand now it's two thousand and eleven more than ten years have passed can you compare the level of basketball in russia while the change during these ten years on definitely definitely future. improvement. idea back took to the russian team after twenty years being in the n.b.a. and. all the infrastructure of the team changed its more professional people and here way better players their league or improved so much more and more players

playing professionally and the highest level right now a lot of young guys who potentially can be a man be a player here and that's why the level you know where we were raised and. everybody stepped up. interviewed you last time it was several years ago you told me i remember that your own club says colleges are also the red army club you said if we bring it to the states and give them a chance to play in the n.b.a. for one season they would level up with a level up of the n.b.a. clubs and a and b. like on the same level is this still true i would say that the current team if you bring to term be their root there would get probably fifteen twenty minutes a season but if they play more and more time when you know get some time to adjust and get used to the n.b.a.

style. i want to say we would be a playoff team but we would be somewhere close and fighting for that spot what is the reason i don't know you ask yourself this question why why can't basketball clubs other than in the united states be as good as the n.b.a. what what's the main reason. well all pros the well i think it's cool preparation before the n.b.a. you know the double where it's a huge. leap for the students where all the young talents grow up to be. you know as best as they can be and they join in and be a right after their great great using was you know a very big. proving and they've grown up getting you know muscles and fighting so hard them.

unfortunately there's not a lot of good steering basketball guys who was very talented at the age of fifteen sixteen years old they have to play for the for the senior changed and they also become because for the states for americans basketball is. just like football for brazilians it's like a religion does it well a lot of a lot of contras have a basketball as a religion likely to miami serbia but i'm saying those america have all the steps and you know with a little kid having a great talent he comes to school then he comes to the coach then he comes to the n.b.a. . those are three steps and you know this why they become such a complete players and europe unfortunately you know after right after school players have to go to the professional team and they skip that part. with their student basketball with a coalition of university basketball and i think there's the future loss but even

the best machines break down we had this lockout this is the reason why i came here to play what was the reason for this and for the previous lockouts only greed or something else i mean we only see the one part you know all the fans want to see the best can bowl everybody thinks it's the greed and the you know everybody mad on the on the players everybody made their own errors and you know i can understand that but you should understand one thing it's a huge huge business. which is broadcast in a three hundred contracts everybody likes to watch everybody likes to. be around basketball and you know be involved somehow so so that's why you should have a rules you should have agreement between two sides one little things so in the future you don't have problems and when you don't have that agreement that's why the problem is all the problems comes out so right now there was a time when two sides cannot reach that agreement you know fortunately right now

everything is set up you know and players can play basketball owners can own any you know enjoy the basketball all the fans can enjoy it let no one know when the lockout is finished and who's the winner is there a winner the players all the others i think they have their winners as the fans really your friends you've lost. i don't think you know both most sides cannot win because this is number one is the way. it should be compromise both sides have to stand there for one hundred compromise before without the lockout because there is not enough time for you know they only have like two or three months to reach that agreement and unfortunately there wasn't enough time to reach it so this wife happened that's why you know for three months almost four months lockout was happened and you know the season didn't start in the right time you tell me that in russia basketball is progressing it's moving to are becoming better

and better well do you think that the police here the russian players should also defend their rights and defend their rights the same way they do that in the united states it's impossible because because players in europe don't have a lever which. it's a profitable league which is making money and you know if the players stop playing and stop making money in the europe. teams usually i would say ninety nine percent of the teams not profitable and not making market and less months are sponsored you know the reason guys who like storm the basketball team or football team they pay money just to support it and they have not making money so that's why there's the only reason why the players can step up and say look we're not going to play ok at home play someone else. if you know that

you. know this is the reason so listen so that means that players in the league in the n.b.a. i mean they they they feel themselves free here because because the they're in business i mean i mean they know that somebody needs them well that's definitely you know i think there's an n.b.a. there on the stand they're part of the product you know they know if they don't play well they're going to lose money so you know every time they step on the court they have to give their best they have to give hundred percent they have to make people like the game of basketball like them selves like a bit because you know they're working on the same side with their own arse and. basketball as a product very attractive. you are a russian you are a guy born in the soviet union and just before before this interview you just told me i make a decision for my future and money isn't everything you know there are things that

matter more than money well what is it in russia that matters so much for the for the players what they call and get in the united states. i mean when you play in the russian. sphere you know you're playing with the guys who you grew up with you know we have the russian guys in the team right now and you know every day you pay so much time when the locker room. or the chemistry you know when you have your guys coming every day and you know joking around the you know having fun with together and playing together you know you always on the same page you always kind of have same mentality and this is worth a lot you know we all want to play in the best leave definitely you know n.b.a. is the best league for the small group and we want to play there but you can't through plays. in a locker room because it's just

a little different so this is the. locker room stuff we're talking about i understand that it's maybe even more important than the game itself. well it's not important in the game but what i'm saying is this part of the life. you want to feel as comfortable as you want because you can be and i think. a locker room playing in the russia and play and i want to be a little different it's just a more easy for myself because i'm russian. to feel the chemistry here rather than in america says. the russian n.b.a. basketball spotlight will be back shortly after the break so stay with us and.

don't. feel.

whether you dive from high or to the depths. catch the power of the wind or drift in the beauty of the currents. being well prepared is a must and if you're lucky enough. you'll never forget your experience only nice them a screen that's going to be heaven. in the flight see a full and below the ice on our t.v. . welcome back to spotlight and i'll get it over in just a reminder that my guest on the show today is under a good eleven cohen the famous russian basketball player in the n.b.a.

as a k forty seven hundred well there we started talking about the the the the ability of russians to play abroad the sort of a cover. did this come for that you have when you play well when you play in a fairly well this is true not only for basketball this is also true for for hockey players in the n.h.l. this is also true it might sound funny for the russian girls in the modeling business the last of them are our working work it's also a kind of sport you have brought well what do you think what's the reason that russians do really often they do really fit into that for that environment though they may be very good professionally. well look i know a lot of examples for the for the athletes who plays in america and you know they feel very comfortable and i know a lot of examples of people who doesn't look good but there's a language barrier i think it's all individual language probably psychologically

you know people get to use for the russia and for the russian friends you know they don't want to miss their family the friends you know they get to use for the you know you know sort of co. food i think it's important sometimes and. chinese is different from russian but america is american food so different. it is different you know you have to get used to it. i think one of the people coming to america alone you know i was a little bit lucky because i came and i came here with my wife and i have a support on my side. good cook. so she supported me and i feel like you know i have somebody on my side but you know a lot of a lot of the common alone and that's why they always alone you know they suffer to feel lonely and they are warm you know that nostalgic you know bringing them back

home kids. oh the american do they feel themselves american all recession or what i have two boys who was born and salt lake city and i believe they feel america but you know what they eat this big both languages they they know they have fresh and they have american. free normal and. very comfortable you know russia or ecstacy and i like it like that you know they don't have a problem to leave moscow and leave and sold like cd or leave in france i think it helps them in the future you know a bit they want to feel any. any badness you know being in and out of contract. i've heard in the pinion from from russian fleet to try to to work can broaden the came back to russia that working abroad especially in the united states in the best leagues and the channel and the in the n.b.a.

requires who are self disciplined more sacrifice if you won then when you play here way can be more relaxed is that true. maybe partially because if you want to be on the highest level you have to have it anyway doesn't matter where you play in the n.b.a. or you play in the russian elite if you want to be at the top when you want to be a successful athlete. you have to you have to have some discipline you have to be you have to work hard you know what the rich should grow. you have to sacrifice some some some things in your life to get there and i don't think it's particularly go to the amateur n.b.a. . you know american sport when you personally enjoy kirilenko a k forty seven when you come back now to play in the army club and are you different from the other guys i mean because you've got your good n.b.a.

today you'll have four hands so does that make you different does that make you special. well i think n.b.a. experience has definitely helps. players look at your little bit different. know that you have a great experience but it gives you way more responsibility because you can. step you have to be on the same level every day and you have to. give a good example for everybody a bit here i'm here but i'm here to relax i'm here to work i'm here to show you the example how it's supposed to be and you know it takes some probably external just sometimes because. if you play in the n.b.a. you already been everybody knows that you know you're in the team you play and what you can but it is no more than i am here you're more like a symbol. and you know you can't really have you know.

they would allow you the usual mistakes and mean you know it's not you know love to make. you mentioned that only nine. russians this is only fifteen guys never really. well now you are needed here but you are a foreigner when you play in the states with your opinion there's a huge discussion now in russia about about attracting foreigners to play for russian teams in football and ice hockey and basketball your opinion about what is good or bad should we limit the number of foreigners i think i think it's a different situation. in russia. you know r. and b. is the best league and everybody will support it doesn't matter a. whole team is foreigners you know because there's a lot of examples like when a lot of foreigners play there in russia i think it's a little different situation because. we. have

a very big national teams and we all want him to be successful. or there are to be successful we have to have russian players to play well and if we have every team you know to bring a lot of foreigners around the russian players will play we're going to lose our national team. that's why i think we should have a restriction so you are in favor i think we should have a reason to move. but it shouldn't be like a crazy you know it should be a balance what would you say how many how many is enough pretty in first person dhoni for first to be honest well you never. because you know that you don't have an answer you know i've never been involved and the wiser and i should be it should be analyzed because you know they're for the relationship then lies and see how the season goes how many russian players played well you know monitor the situation so

next year they can change it or keep it like a base you know keep it the same way. it's not my job right now maybe in the future when i you know finish my career i'll become somebody in a federation and them will do it ok listen well speaking about your career you definitely want to take part in the london olympics you were pretty successfully personally at least at the previous olympics the olympics even with the flag bearer for the russian team so what can you say about that london i.e. it's sort of i. look forward to to london work is about the future russia would definitely looking forward to be on the olympics and a lot of them we know there are you know you know we july second we're going to have a qualification tournament and three teams going to go to them so we're going to do our best to be there and you know being a russian delegation team. in two thousand and twelve what he say today this winter

the russian national team isn't something to really be afraid of you can compare the teams i mean the russian the american team you know a lot about it oh i don't think we should be afraid of you know well i think we have a very promising team a last european championship we get the bronze medal two thousand so i want to get the gold medal and we play in pretty well you know we have young guys from all go if you know he plays them better and i guess right now he improved a lot and we're getting another guy from a bit which is pretty good for the team you know from experience and the rest of the guys we have a great young guys from red army club. and i think it. i think we have a very very good young talented team this is. do you think that that basketball is one of the one of the rushes go that's potations full and are not really. here in the first of all we have to be there we can jump ahead to you know

think about the gold medal before we even you know we're going to fight for that for the invitation and. then i think our main goal will be to get from the group for the quarterfinal and try to. try to get the best for five for the medal if we talk about the quality qualifying for the for the olympic tournament who do you consider you. always been pretty successful and pretty good team always. you know solid teams. showed great courage last year. the teams from south america. and new zealand team will be tough. so. there's going to be probably five six teams who is really going to be great for

three spots thank you thank you very much and just to remind you that my guest on the show today was. the famous russian basketball player. the n.b.a. i'm a k forty six and the. spotlight will be back with more comments on what's going on and. if you want to send me a letter if you have so what you let me turn to the next right. party if you need are you people and we'll be back and they are tea and take.

witnesses. to history in the making of. testimony. ten stories that shapes two thousand and eleven. if. russia would be so much brighter if you knew all about sun from funds to freshen his. friends down totty dot com.