By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Diego Flaccadori will make his return to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season with Olimpia Milano. The contract is for two seasons.
After previously playing two seasons in the EuroLeague with FC Bayern Munich, Flaccadori (1.93 meters, 27 years old) returns to Europe’s premier club basketball competition with Milano.
“I’m happy, humble, and excited to come to Olimpia. I’m coming from an experience that helped me build confidence in my skills and personality. I think this is the right time for me to land in such an important club, so I can’t wait to start my job and help Olimpia achieve its goals,” Flaccadori said.
He arrives from fellow Italian club Dolomiti Energia Trento, where he averaged 12.9 points, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and a 14.2 PIR in the 2022-23 edition of the BKT EuroCup.
Over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Flaccadori was able to experience the EuroLeague for the first time in his career. In his rookie campaign, he posted 1.9 points in just 8:32 minutes on the court across 22 appearances, all of which were from the bench. The Italian guard once again played 22 games in the following season, starting four times, but his minutes reduced to 5:17 per night, and his points average dropped to 1.2 points per game.
Flaccadori began his professional career with Trento in his native Italy in 2014 and then remained at the club until 2019. He made his EuroCup debut with Trento in 2015-16 and reached the EuroCup Semifinals but came up short against the French side Strasbourg.
After five years in Trento, Flaccadori spent two years at Bayern, but in the summer of 2021, he returned to Trento. After a couple of down years in the EuroLeague, he hit the ground running back in the EuroCup in 2021-22, posting 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and an 8.7 PIR through 15 fixtures, all of which were as a starter. Last season, he had his best statistical year to date, and those performances caught the eye of Milano, which has decided to bring him to the club.
“Flaccadori is coming to Milan at the right time of his career, he is still young, motivated, but he is also experienced enough. During the last couple of seasons, he has been playing at a high and consistent level, both in the Italian league and the Eurocup. So, we are happy to welcome him to our family,” Olimpia’s general manager Christos Stavropoulos said.
Flaccadori started his career with Blu Basket Gruppo Remer Treviglio before joining Trento. In addition to helping Trento reach the EuroCup Semifinals in 2016, he also guided the team to the Italian League finals in 2017 and 2018. He has also been a member of the Italian national team.