Report: Ex-Lakers big man who played with Kobe Bryant signs deal to join new team overseas

A former teammate of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant reportedly has signed a deal to join a new overseas team, with Tarik Black moving on to join a French club.

Black played with Bryant during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 NBA seasons, which were the final two seasons of the superstar’s legendary career. The big man also played a third season for the Lakers in the 2016-17 campaign, appearing in a career-high 67 games.

Overall, Black played in 144 regular-season games during his time with L.A., averaging 5.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest across more than 16 minutes per game.

The University of Kansas product last played in the NBA in the 2017-18 season with the Houston Rockets, the team he started his career with during the 2014-15 season before being waived and then joining the Lakers and Bryant.

Black has played internationally since 2018, with a brief stint in the G League during the 2021-22 season. He is now joining ASVEL Villeurbanne in France for the upcoming EuroLeague season, according to HoopsHype.

The center is not the only former Lakers player who has made news overseas in recent days.

Marcelo Huertas, another former teammate of Bryant, recently agreed to remain with Tenerife in Spain through the 2025-26 season. The Brazilian guard was with the Lakers during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 NBA seasons, averaging 3.9 points and 3.1 assists per game in 76 regular-season appearances.

Meanwhile, Quinn Cook, who was a member of the Lakers’ 2020 NBA title team, recently signed with Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia for the 2024-25 season. With the Lakers, the guard averaged 4.3 points per game in 60 regular-season appearances over two campaigns.

He played in six games during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, including two games in L.A.’s 2020 NBA Finals victory against the Miami Heat that was contested in the bubble in Orlando, Florida.

Cook also won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2018. During his time in the NBA, his teams won 10 of the 11 playoff series in which he appeared. He has remained active internationally in recent years.

As for the Lakers themselves, they have made very few offseason roster changes this offseason, though players like LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell agreed to return as they prepare to take another run at a title during the 2024-25 NBA campaign.