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Gigi Datome: 'The Euroleague isn't sustainable as today'
Invited by the LBA as part of a legends panel that saw important names of basketball – alongside Gianmarco Pozzecco, Gianluca Basile, and others -, Gigi Datome stopped by in the mixed zone of the Inalpi Arena to touch on some topics regarding the EuroLeague. Regarding the opportunity for Dubai to enter the landscape of European basketball, Gigi Datome talked about an environment in which sustainability isn’t a reality anymore. “It’s a possibility. I understand that the EuroLeague isn’t as sustainable as today, because a lot of teams are loss-making. It’s something less romantic, but it could be helpful to make the numbers work”, he first said.
BasketNews: 🇮🇹 Luigi Datome's tearful last anthem as he caps off a glorious career ❤️ #FIBAWC #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/5nOWy8kGqN
However, Puerto Rico fought back and briefly took the lead at 43-41. Italy responded with a 16-4 run, expanding their lead to 59-47 with 8 minutes left in the game. From that point on, Puerto Rico struggled to make a comeback. “Good feeling to be in the top eight in the world,” Italy forward Luigi Datome said. “It was not an easy group. And we knew it would not be an easy game. But we played good and deserved to win. We created a lot of good shots. “The ball didn’t go in at the beginning but we kept shooting with confidence. The bigs kept us alive with a lot of offensive rebounds. At the end of the day I think we deserved the win.”
Italy managed to narrow the margin to just 3 points with 17 seconds left, but Lestor Quinones’ two successful free throws sealed the Dominican Republic’s win. “We started the game well and we were controlling it,” Luigi Datome said. “They started creating good shots and were good enough to make a lot of them. Vice versa, we created good shots but could not make them. Our percentages were not very good for us. “For a team like us, if you don’t shoot well from three you have to be almost perfect in all the other aspects of the game. We were close, because we controlled the boards and shot well from two and not too many turnovers. Congrats to them. For us, nothing. Be ready for the next one. Of course it will be very important.”
Watching back on his basketball trajectory with the Italian national team, Gigi Datome took out some life-long memories. “I hope to be changed for the better. Many kilometers, even on the field. So much fun, it was a beautiful and crazy journey. I had a lot of fun and I got a lot of satisfaction. Everything I am now I owe to basketball. I have to thank all those who helped me, but especially our sport: it is thanks to basketball that I am the person I am today”, he added.
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BasketNews: Luigi Datome has played his last home game wearing an Italian jersey 🙌🇮🇹 #FIBAWC #WinForAll 📸 @Italbasket pic.twitter.com/fXzTIVq50z
Luigi Datome has played his last home game wearing an Italian jersey 🙌🇮🇹 #FIBAWC #WinForAll
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) August 14, 2023
📸 @Italbasket pic.twitter.com/fXzTIVq50z
Christos Tsaltas: Italy continues to impress, taking a win in dominant fashion over Puerto Rico (98-65) in Ravenna. Simone Fontecchio 16 pts in 17 min Gabriele Procida 16 pts, 4 stl Matteo Spagnolo 15 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast Gigi Datome's last dance in Italian ground! Che momento #Italbasket #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/doTSlcyW7V
Luigi Datome announced that he will retire from professional basketball after FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, where he will represent the Italian national team. 35-year-old Italian will remain with his former team, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, in a different capacity.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Paolo Banchero has committed to playing for Team USA at the upcoming FIBA World Cup, despite Italy’s hopes of having him represent the Azzurri in the future. Long-time Italian international, Luigi Datome, commented on Banchero’s decision. “He made his choice, and it’s okay to try. We don’t have to treat him like a traitor. Everybody has their own path.”
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Meo Sacchetti cut out Giampaolo Ricci and Brian Sacchetti from Italy’s roster for the World Cup and the 12 remaining players to compete in China are the following: Amedeo Della Valle, Marco Belinelli, Alessandro Gentile, Paul Biligha, Luca Vitali, Danilo Gallinari, Daniel Hackett, Ariel Filloy, Jeff Brooks, Amedeo Tessitori, Awudu Abass, and Luigi Datome.
Emiliano Carchia: Italbasket forwards Danilo Gallinari and Gigi Datome ruled out for entire Acropolis Tournament. Both players have not played a single minute this summer for Italy due to injuries. The duo is expected to play in FIBA Basketball World Cup
Nicolo Melli will not play for Italy in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, but two of his teammates are making progress. Danilo Gallinari is now training individually and Luigi Datome joined his teammates but is still restricted in terms of fully participating in practices, per La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Marco Belinelli, Danilo Gallinari and European Qualifiers star Amedeo Della Valle are among the names on Italy's expanded list of 24 players for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. Coach Meo Sachetti also has European-based veterans Luigi Datome and Nicolo Melli and sharpshooter Davide Moretti, who played in the 2019 NCAA Final on April 9 for Texas Tech.
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