By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nicolo Melli of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is the second player to step into the spotlight as part of the “Remember The Why” series, a Euroleague Basketball and Adidas collaboration in which Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars discuss their personal journeys.
A member of the 2,000-point, 1,300-rebound club in the EuroLeague, the 268-game veteran opened up about the basketball journey that started at six years old and has seen him become, at age 32, one of the best European players of his generation.
It was not a simple journey for him to get to this point, however. Melli was named on Reggiana’s bench for the first time at the age of 13, yet four years later, just when he was beginning to establish himself in the first team, he suffered a serious ACL injury that threatened to derail his career. However, going through that process reminded Melli about just how much he loves the game.
“That was my big mountain to climb and, when you’re young, even sometimes after, you’re a little bit cocky, a little bit arrogant,” he recalls. “When I broke my ACL, I was just coming off my best game so far. In one week, I went from being on top of the mountain to the bottom of it… That made my love [for basketball] even stronger and made me tougher.”
Melli made a full recovery from his injury and did enough to earn a move to Milan in 2010, which gave him the opportunity to play in the EuroLeague for the first time. After five seasons in the fashion capital, though, the big man opted to sign for Brose Bamberg of Germany as he went in search of a bigger role.
“I made that decision because, back then when I was in Milan, I had a different role than now,” Melli explains. “There is nothing wrong with it, but I was a role player. Bamberg gave me the chance to be one of the main guys on the court, and I wanted to take this kind of responsibility to test myself, to prove also to myself that I could be the guy.”
Melli’s numbers rose across the board, showing that his decision to join Bamberg had clearly paid dividends, but in the summer of 2017, he had a dilemma. Although he had the chance to go to the NBA, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and its coach at the time, Zeljko Obradovic, wanted to see if they could convince Melli to join Italy teammate Gigi Datome at Ulker Sports and Event Hall.
“After five minutes on the phone with [Obradovic], I was ready to go into training camp. Boom, pack my stuff, go. You play for certain feelings, for certain emotions and I felt those on that phone call,” Melli says. “I chose to go to Fenerbahce and I’m actually very happy and proud that I took that decision. The two years that I had in Fenerbahce were two amazing years.”
Following two seasons with Fenerbahce, Melli eventually headed to the NBA for a couple of years, suiting up for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks. Then, in 2021, he returned home to Italy and signed for Milan again, an idea that was not originally in his mind but – as was the case with Coach Obradovic and Fenerbahce – Milan head coach Ettore Messina found a way to entice him.
Looking ahead, Melli has already set his sights on how he wants to sign off his career. Back in 1984, Melli’s mom won a silver medal with the United States volleyball team at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. With the Olympics set to return to Los Angeles in 2028, and Italy among the teams who could make it for basketball, Melli hopes that he can end his career by winning a medal, back at the location where his mom made her name.
“Well, the decision of playing sport in my family was pretty easy; it has always been a part of our lives. I felt no pressure at all growing up as the son of my mother,” Melli notes. “But, I would love to finish my career in 2028 in the Olympics in Los Angeles. That would be a super romantic way to finish a career. I hope that I can tie my mom with the result – that would be amazing. But, I always say that she is the champion of the family and I’m really proud to be her son.”