By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Italy called up 18 players for the extended list ahead of FIBA EuroBasket 2025, but also included Achille Polonara in a separate shortlist, despite his obvious unavailability due to his recent diagnosis of myeloid leukemia.
In an interview with Davide Romani from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian forward opened up about his current feelings. “[I feel] disheartened. After two years of fighting to beat a tumor, my world collapsed when I found out I had an even more serious illness,” Polonara first said.
“I started thinking, ‘Why me? What did I do wrong?’ Compared to this disease, what I had before doesn’t even come close. When I heard “leukemia”, I immediately associated it with death. It’s terrifying.”
The 33-year-old forward also revealed how he found out about the tragic news. “Everything changed on the eve of Game 3 [of the LBA Finals] against Milan. That day, I went for my routine post-cancer tests and CT scan — something I do every six months. Everything seemed normal,” he said.
“But that evening at the hotel, I had a fever that wouldn’t go down — it was 38.1°C (100.6°F). So I decided to call the team doctor, who came to my room.”
“At that point, he admitted that one of the test values was a bit low. We decided to go back to Bologna for further checks, so the next morning I left and was admitted to the hospital. At first, they thought it was mononucleosis. But then came the diagnosis that everyone now knows: myeloid leukemia,” he added.
After “incredibly emotional days” with his Virtus Bologna teammates, who even showed up at the hospital with the Italian Championship trophy, he was called up by Italy – but he won’t be there.
“I’m really sorry not to be part of the team, but of course, this summer I’ll be the national team’s number one supporter. I have another battle to win, but if things go well for Italy, that will definitely give me even more strength for my own fight,” Polonara commented.
“Every day, they never let me feel alone. I hear from two or three of them daily. For example, on Thursday, I had a great chat on the phone with [Danilo] Gallinari, then I talked to [Stefano] Tonut.”
“Of course, I spoke with [Marco] Spissu — to me, he’s like a brother. [Gianmarco] Pozzecco messages me every day; he’s never stopped supporting me. I’ve truly felt the closeness of the big Azzurri family,” Achille Polonara ultimately said.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA