Who knew the NBA's path to true globalization would one day travel through Atlanta?

Former Hawks swingman Josh Childress had no idea he'd be the pioneer he appears to be today, the morning after signing a three-year, $32.5 million contract with Greek powerhouse Olympiakos, rather than accepting a deal from the Hawks.

Childress, 25, is the first player at this stage of his NBA career to spurn the world's most high-profile basketball stage for one of its international alternatives.

Atlanta offered a five-year, $33 million contract. But the Hawks' slow-paced negotiating tactics and the limits of restricted free agency, combined with what Childress called Wednesday the "opportunity of a lifetime," resulted in his decision.

Whether others follow remains to be seen, but Pandora's box has clearly been opened.

"I've talked with a few guys and it could become a trend," said Childress, whose net pay from Olympiakos will be $20 million. "I'm not so sure it won't. It's certainly different. We thought outside the box on this one. If players can see a fellow NBA athlete come overseas and live a normal life and adjust to the culture [they may] think, why not me? I'm also interested to see how these next weeks turn out for some of the other restricted free agents in my draft class."

One Greek newspaper reported that representatives for at least two other players contacted Olympiakos to let the team know that if it didn't reach terms with Childress that they'd be interested in the same offer.

"History has shown that the best players in the world prefer to play in the NBA," Hawks general manager Rick Sund said. "The last few years there have been some pretty aggressive movements to sign players, mostly from Russia. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future."

Seven players who were on NBA rosters last season have turned down offers from NBA teams this summer to play in Europe, including Juan Carlos Navarro, Bostjan Nachbar and Carlos Delfino.

"I just think logic dictates that if you believe in the globalization of the sport, there is no reason the path can't travel in both directions," said Childress' Washington-based agent Lon Babby, a veteran who has seen the change in the NBA's tide the past two decades.

"Given the relative strength of the euro, there are teams with the relative ability to compete with NBA teams for players. It's going to change the dynamic of the process, and I'm sure some others will look at it and it could become a part of the business."

The nation's top-rated high school player beat Childress to the punch last week. California point guard Brandon Jennings chose to sign a professional contract with an Italian team instead of playing at Arizona, where he was expected to stay for just a year to satisfy the NBA's age-limit rule.

Childress' decision to leave the NBA for Greece could have a much more tangible impact on players already in the league, particularly those trapped by the restrictions of free agency.

"I'm sure the players would like the system to be re-thought," Babby said when asked if the system was broken. "We'll see how it goes. I never underestimate the power of the NBA to respond to market trends."

Childress averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds last season. He finished sixth in the voting for the NBA's Sixth Man award.

The NBA market for Childress, a player whose skills can fit into almost any system, consisted of teams under the salary cap such as the 76ers, who courted him and teammate Josh Smith. But even if a team had tendered an offer sheet, the Hawks owned the right to match any offers within seven days of Childress signing one.

By opting for an overseas alternative, Babby and Jim Tanner, another of Childress' agents and the chief negotiator on the contract with Olympiakos, snatched the leverage away from Atlanta.

The Hawks will retain Childress' NBA rights for at least the next two years, provided they tender qualifying offers to him every summer. If they don't, Childress becomes an unrestricted free agent and can pursue an NBA future without Atlanta receiving compensation.

Childress' contract with Olympiakos also offers the flexibility to return to the NBA via an opt-out clause at the end of the first two years of the deal. There's also no buyout clause in the deal, meaning Childress will be allowed to weigh his options every summer.

"I signed this deal with the intention of playing with Olympiakos for the duration," Childress said, "but obviously, if an opportunity comes up in the NBA, I'm more than willing to have my ears open to it. I'm an NBA player and I think I've proven that. This is a little change-up."

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HARD CURRENCY

Sorting through the difference between euros and dollars was crucial for Josh Childress and his representatives as they weighed an offer from a Greek team (Olympiakos) paying with euros and an NBA team (Hawks) paying with dollars. Either way you slice it, Olympiakos was offering more:

> Olympiakos offered three years and $32.5 million; after the club pays the taxes, Childress nets about $20 million, or $6.7 million a year.

> The Hawks offered five years and $33 million; after Childress paid the taxes, he'd have netted about $17 million, or $3.4 million per year.

> Olympiakos also pays for all of Childress' living expenses, including luxury accommodations, a car and driver, and maid service.

> Childress also has an annual opt-out clause in the contract that will allow him to weigh his NBA options as a restricted free agent, provided the Hawks tender a qualifying offer to him every summer.

> There is no buyout clause in the contract, meaning Childress won't have to negotiate a compensation package for Olympiakos if he were to return to the NBA before the end of the deal.

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OTHERS WHO SAID BON VOYAGE

Other American players, including the Hawks' most famous player, have played professional basketball in Europe or in the Euroleague:

> Maceo Baston: Played with Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2003—-06. Holds the Euroleague Final Four record for blocks in a game with six. Played for the Raptors, recently traded to the Pacers.

> Bill Bradley: Played with Olimpia Milano for one season in 1966. Bradley later won an NBA championship with the New York Knicks.

> Mike D'Antoni: Guided Milano to back-to-back Euroleague titles in 1987 and '88. D'Antoni now coaches the New York Knicks and remains a legend of European basketball.

> Bob McAdoo: Five-time NBA All-Star, played seven seasons professionally in Italy, including four seasons with Milano, where he led the team to two Italian League Championships, the Italian Cup and two European Championships.

> Dominique Wilkins: Former Atlanta Hawk played for Panathinaikos Athens and was the 1996 Euroleague MVP. Wilkins averaged 20.1 points in 17 games, scoring 35 in the semifinal game against CSKA Moscow. Posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds in the title game against Barcelona.

—- Sharon Gaus

 ELIZABETH LANDT / Staff 
THE ORIGINAL ATHENS 
Forget playing near Athens, Ga. Former Hawk Josh Childress will play for a team in a suburb of Athens, Greece.

Map of Greece locates Athens. Inset map outlines area of detail relative to Europe and Africa.