ITALY added veteran leadership by including Danilo Gallinari to its squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Italian Basketball Federation unveiled its 12-man roster for the men's basketball tournament, with the Atlanta Hawks shooter being the lone new addition from the squad that ruled the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
Gallinari was still with Atlanta during the Belgrade OQT as the Hawks fought the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
He joins Golden State Warriors guard Nico Mannion and Dallas Mavericks forward Nicolo Melli in the lineup, which includes Belgrade OQT MVP Achille Polonara (Saski Baskonia), Simone Fontecchio (ALBA Berlin), and Stefano Tonut (Reyer Venezia).
Danilo Gallinari joins Belgrade OQT winners
Also part of the team for coach Meo Sacchetti are Virtus Bologna's Giampaolo Ricci, Alessandro Pajola and Amedeo Tessitori, Michele Vitali (Brose Bamberg), Marco Spissu (Dinamo Sassari), and Riccardo Moraschini (Olimpia Milano).
That core stunned hosts Serbia in the Belgrade OQT final, 102-95, to book its ticket to Tokyo.
To make way for Gallinari, Italy dropped Virtus Bologna forward Awudu Abass from the lineup.
Italy is bracketed in Group B, where it will face Australia, Nigeria, and Split OQT winner Germany in the July 25 to August 7 tourney.
This will be Italy's first Olympic appearance since it won the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens behind Matteo Soragna and Gianmarco Pozzecco.
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