By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
“This will be my last season,” Nando de Colo revealed in an interview with BeBasket.
As he prepares to close the curtain on one of the most decorated basketball journeys, the two-time EuroLeague champion and veteran of 125 NBA games reflects on a career defined by an obsessive attention to detail and a rare ability to adapt. Whether shifting between scorer and floor general or moving mid-season to Fenerbahce Beko, the 38-year-old point guard has always prioritized the collective over the individual. Now, after twenty professional seasons, he admits that the constant cycle of rebuilding, never finding a consistent rhythm for two consecutive years over his last seven seasons, has led him to a place of certain transition.
His decision to walk away is absolute and independent of his final results on the court. “I didn’t say I would retire if we won the EuroLeague. But to be transparent, this will be my last season,” he clarified a previous reported statement and stressed the choice has been firmly at the back of his mind since the beginning of the year.
For de Colo, the timing is a matter of life stages rather than a romantic gamble on a trophy. “The truth is, I think life is made up of moments, and timing too. And I think it’s the right time to move on,” he explained, noting that even a third European title would simply be a ‘wonderful way to end’ an already complete story.
Looking toward the future, de Colo plans a deliberate departure from the grueling professional spiral. Unlike peers who jump immediately into front-office roles or scouting, he feels a profound need to slow down and disconnect. “I know it’s not what I want to do right now because I really need to disconnect and slow down a bit,” he admitted.
This respite includes a move to Spain, where his family will settle into a more stable routine. However, the hiatus is unlikely to be permanent; the son of coaches acknowledges that his transition into coaching is almost inevitable. “I’ll mainly try to focus on coaching, because I know that at some point, I’ll probably end up doing it,” he said, remaining open to men’s, women’s, or national team roles.
As he navigates a final season stretch complicated by a calf injury, he has tallied 10.9 points per game in 12 games off the bench for Fener since his midseason move.