IN his final tour of duty with Italy, Gigi Datome is making key contributions for the Azzurri in the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup.
The only holdover from the 2019 World Cup team, the 35-year-old Datome had 10 points and made two threes in Italy’s 78-76 come-from-behind win over Serbia to enhance its chances of advancing to the quarterfinals.
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“Gigi is just a legend, simply a legend,” said Italy star Simone Fontecchio. “What he did is a little cherry on the top of his career. It was something unbelievable. He showed us the way, down 16, no matter what, he kept playing until he is 35.”
“He was simply amazing, leading by example. He is our captain. He is our leader. Just the best teammate you could imagine. That really pushed us to find the last energy in our body to make the comeback,” said Fontecchio.
The Italian veteran topscored for his team when they faced Gilas Pilipinas in the 2019 World Cup, scoring 17 points in their 108-62 win.
Four years after that World Cup campaign, Datome decided to retire from club basketball after a storied career that saw him also play three years in the NBA. Last July, he announced his retirement after three years with Olimpia Milano.
Datome declined to take all the credit for the team win on Friday.
“I would like to talk about the team. I don’t talk about myself. It’s a team win. Great win against a great team,” said Datome.
“Very happy. When you win, you’re happy regardless. Giving a contribution, you are a little bit happier… But at this moment of my career, I care even more about the wins. I’m very happy,” said Datome.
Datome said he is happy about the future of Italian basketball with Fontecchio being the primary weapon.
“Of course, Simone is a key player. He was great. Big player coming out with big moments making big plays. Fantastic. It’s not the first time [he did this],” said Datome.
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