By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Malcolm Delaney discussed his successful career in Europe, his tenure in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, going undrafted in the 2011 and how this helped his career evolution, the premature end of the 2019-20 season with Barcelona and his motivations with Olimpia Milano, in his recent interview with olimpiamilano.com.
31-year-old Delaney began his professional career in 2011 in France with Elan Chalon after going undrafted. “Honestly, the draft was big, I’d loved to get drafted, but I really didn’t care. My biggest thing was where my career is going to finish. The guys were drafted, played two years in the league and that was it. Personally, I think I’m in a better position than probably 80 or 90 percent of people who got drafted when I didn’t get drafted. So I look back at my story, I chose another path, and I think I’m very successful at the path I chose. I got the chance to play in the NBA. Everything I wanted to do in basketball pretty much I accomplished”, he said.
In the coming years, he would become one of the hottest names on the market of the Old Continent, making it to the All-EuroCup and All-EuroLeague first teams in 2013 and 2016 respectively, before leaving for the NBA.
“I took the advice coming from guys like Draper. They said if you want to be considered one of the best players in Europe you gotta win, it doesn’t matter to come over and averaged 20 points, put up numbers. If you lose nobody care. I think after my first year in France when we won all three cups and lost the Eurochallenge final, I kind of realized what people meant. I was appreciated for what I was doing on the court because we were winning, not so much for my stats. Because of the winning that we had as a team. After that, every year I tried to win, I tried to play my best, of course individually, but I tried to do my best to help the team and the club I was on to be successful”.
After spending two seasons with Lokomotiv, Atlanta Hawks trusted in Delaney for his first NBA experience, which he evaluated with integrity.
“I knew going to the NBA older, I knew what to expect. I knew going to Atlanta I expected something to be a little bit different how it ended, but it’s part of the game. I don’t like to make excuses, at this point looking at my career I really don’t care. I met some people in Atlanta, did some positive things for me off the court, and I think overall it was a great experience for me. Was I able to be myself, or was I able to show people what really I could do? No. But for me now I really don’t care”.
Delaney returned to Europe after a season in the Chinese League for FC Barcelona, though the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was big, we were tied for second in the EuroLeague, first place in the ACB when the COVID-19 got around. We had a great chance to win the EuroLeague. There was a lot of hard work we put up during the season, a lot of things we had to go on and off the court, and not having the opportunity to finish the season was something that we talked about a lot. But honestly, there are things bigger than basketball for me. Safety and my health. If it’s meant to happen, it’s gonna happen”.
Now an Olimpia Milano player, he shared his biggest motivation for playing in the Italian club, alongside star-names like Kyle Hines and Gigi Datome.
“Once again, I want to try to be myself. Last year, going to Barcelona a little bit late, I just got the feeling of joining a team that was already put together. This year is different. Talking with the Coach, from Day one, he said he wanted me to be myself, he will build the team around me and let me be me. He trusted me as a winner, he knows my work ethic on and off the court, as a leader. Having this kind of respect from a coach puts a lot of pressure on myself in trying to do something special. With the roster we just put together, the commitment that the club is putting into basketball since I have been here is top-level, definitely, so far, this has been the most professional place I’ve ever been. And in the long run, it will help the team to succeed”, he said.
“I don’t know at the top of my head, but probably Kyle is one of the best Americans who ever played in Europe, in terms of winnings, championships. Playing his role on a team, something like that, mentally I was directed here. I’ve played against Kyle a lot, never really had the chance to beat him, so having him on my side, on my team would be positive for me. Then Chacho, Shavon just came from winning the ACB, we have a lot of players who won championships, and committed to make this a big club in Europe and to contribute. It’s a group of players, of winners, coming together, trying to get bigger goals. The biggest goal right now is the EuroLeague, but the main goal is winning the Italian league. That’s where we start and after that we’ll see what happens”.