By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Olimpia Milano’s Kyle Hines looks back on his successful career in Europe as a four-time EuroLeague champion in a recent interview with olimpiamilano.com and has no regrets for not chasing after his NBA dream after over a decade of playing overseas.
“I thought the NBA could be a big option, but the journey is different for everybody. If I look back, I have no regrets, I came to Europe, I played in the EuroLeague, I experienced many different things, I won many titles, played with great teammates and for great coaches, for some of the most historical teams in Europe. The NBA has always been a dream, but today I’m kind of glad that dream didn’t come true. I realized that my real dream was another and it was to compete to win titles here in Europe”, he states.
Hines has been named EuroLeague champion four times in total (twice with Olympiacos in 2012 and 2013, twice with CSKA in 2016 and 2019), the most of any other American to has ever played in the league.
“It is a tremendous honor – a great achievement – to realize that I’m at the top of that list, considering how many great American players have played in the EuroLeague and have built their careers here. It’s a great achievement, an honor, but hopefully I can win another EuroLeague or two before my career is over.”
His contribution to the modern era of European basketball is undoubtful, though as he says, he is still not able to explain the magnitude of his success.
“Sometimes, I honestly cannot understand it myself. As an athlete you always think about what’s next, you finish one game and worry about the next one, you finish one season and immediately think about the next one. So I have never been able to sit down and understand the magnitude of winning the EuroLeague or other titles. Hopefully, one day, when my career is over, I’ll sit down and really enjoy it. My family has always supported me in all my teams, in my hometown, everyone is aware of what is going on, the games, they also support me. And this year they will be big fans of Olimpia Milano.”
Despite tasting success multiple times in the past, Hines’ goals remain the same, as he explains. “For me, nothing will ever change, the goals are always the same, winning trophies, winning championships. This is the reason why I came to Olimpia Milan. To be part of a club, a team, a group that helps bring titles back to Milan, whether it’s in Italy or in the EuroLeague. This is the goal, this is what I am focused on. And I think it must be like this for everyone here, we have put together a team that can finish the season by winning titles.”
Photo: Olimpia Milano