By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
LIMASSOL – On the eve of the EuroBasket 2025 opener for Italy and a matchup with Greece in Limassol, Marco Spissu talked to Eurohoops about his decision to show his support for Achille Polonara by wearing his friend’s jersey #33 during the international tournament.
“Everybody knows what he is going through right now. He’s in the hospital, but he’s still with us; he’s fighting. We need to pray,” mentioned Spissu, “He’s good. He’s smiling.”
“We really, really want it, also for him,” the 30-year-old point guard confirmed intentions to link team efforts in EuroBasket to Polonara, “Everybody wants to play for him and for the team, but especially for him, because he’s a part of the group and he’s still with us.”
Diagnosed with myeloid leukemia, the 33-year-old forward remains hospitalized.
“I think it’s bad luck. But he’s really strong as a person. He’s fighting,” said Spissu, “I hope everything is going to go the right way. That’s the only thing I can say.”
“I don’t have to say anything to my teammates”
During a pregame press conference on Wednesday, captain Nicolo Melli also opened up about how the team is approaching the tournament.
“We call him, basically every other day,” he said, referring to constant communication with Polonara via a group chat on social media.
“I don’t have to say anything to my teammates,” the 34-year-old forward underlined the needlessness of a captain’s speech on this situation.
“I won’t say we are on a mission because of Achille or something like that. I’m not going to hit the headlines with some kind of statement like this. But for sure, we think about him. For sure, if we are able to do something good, it is for him and because of him,” concluded Melli.
“Everybody knows Achille Polonara is not with us, because he’s not healthy. We miss him a lot,” added head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco.