By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
After winning the Italian championship in back-to-back fashion with Olimpia Milan against Virtus Bologna, Gigi Datome called it a day and won’t play basketball once more with a club, leaving space only to the national team to wear the Italian jersey at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. After Milan’s owner Giorgio Armani, The EuroLeague Players Association also congratulated the 35-year-old following this announcement.
“Upon Gigi Datome‘s decision to retire from professional basketball after the FIBA World Cup 2023, ELPA would like to congratulate Gigi on an outstanding career, spanning over three decades and multiple countries. Besides winning the 2017 EuroLeague championship, he also won numerous domestic league titles, reached his personal dream of playing in the NBA, and always proudly wore his National team jersey”, the ELPA’s statement opened.
The official press release kept on praising the 35-year-old Italian forward qualities also outside of the basketball court. “Gigi led an exemplary role as the ultimate professional, both on and off the court. He is a pioneer in advocating for basketball players’ rights on an international level. He was one of the players who started the ELPA movement and was chosen as the first president of the association. He excelled as a selfless leader and dedicated much of his free time to help push for improvements of all players’ rights and working conditions”, it continued.
“More importantly, he did so knowing that most changes will leave a much bigger impact on the next generation of EuroLeague players. At ELPA, we would like to wish Gigi all the best in the next stage of his life, while we have no doubt that our paths will cross again soon in the world of basketball”, the EuroLeague Players’ Association finished saying.
On September 2021, the former Fenerbahce player, who won the EuroLeague with the Turkish team in 2017 and qualified for the EuroLeague Final Four in 2021 with Milan, stepped down as ELPA’s President, leaving the role to Tornike Shengelia. Jayson Granger, Mateusz Ponitka, Kyle Hines, Adam Hanga, and Nikola Kalinic remained on board at that time.
EuroLeague Players Association congratulates @GigiDatome on an outstanding career pic.twitter.com/XuYDlgwupf
— EuroLeague Players Association (@the_ELPA) July 7, 2023
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague