By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
From topping the list of players with the most assists in the 2022-23 edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Darius Thompson is entering a busy offseason, possibly including a move to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
Ettore Messina’s side is showing interest in the explosive point guard, but talks have not been initiated so far, according to Eurohoops sources. El Correo reported Olimpia Milan as the main suitor for Thompson, noting willingness to pay a contract buyout of up to 600,000 euros to Cazoo Baskonia.
Thompson, 28, tallied 12.6 points, 6.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per contest in his first EuroLeague campaign. Leading the league in assists was huge in being named in the All-EuroLeague Second Team. Additional efforts in the 2022-23 season stretch to Spain’s Liga Endesa, amounted to 10.2 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per contest over 34 appearances.
Before joining Baskonia and establishing himself in Europe’s top-tier club continental competition, he went from ZZ Leiden and the Netherlands to Happy Casa Brindisi from 2019 to 2021 and Lokomotiv Kuban for the 2021-22 season. The stint in Italy notably included being named in the 2020-21 Basketball Champions League Star Lineup Second Team.
Apart from emerging among the main summer targets for the team based in Milan, the Tennessee native, a former NCAA player of Western Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, is also a possible addition to Italy’s senior national team as a naturalized player ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net