By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MILAN, Italy – The 2022-23 season wasn’t the best one for Shavon Shields, euphemistically. Having had the possibility to play only 10 games during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season due to foot and ankle injuries, he couldn’t contribute to his team’s success along the way.
However, after a full summer of work, he has been starting the new basketball year with the right attitude, crossing his fingers for his health situation. By far the best player on Ettore Messina’s side during the Italian Supercup semifinal loss against Virtus Bologna with 26 points and 5 rebounds, in the first LBA game of the season he put up 22 points with 5 rebounds and 7 assists to help his team get the tough win against Treviso.
Before debuting in this year’s domestic league, the 29-year-old small forward talked to Eurohoops during the red-and-white Italian team’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Media Day, sharing his appreciation for the club he’s been with for four years now.
What a beauty is watching Shavon Shields on the court?
3️⃣1️⃣#insieme #ForzaOlimpia #OlimpiaMilano pic.twitter.com/EHBPerLK8D
— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) September 25, 2023
Shavon Shields loves Milano, his “second home”
The first moment when the European basketball landscape understood this guy from Overland Park was special came right inside the Mediolanum Forum, playing for Aquila Basket Trento in the 2018 LBA Finals against the hosts. He left so much on that court that he decided to come back for good.
After re-entering the doors of Italian basketball in 2020, Shavon Shields hasn’t moved from Milano, even officially extending his contract until 2026 after winning the Italian championship some months ago. “It’s great to be back here. I love the club, my teammates, and my coaches. Milan feels like a second home to me. It’s a great place to be and to play. My family and I are happy and comfortable here”, he first said talking about his mood going into the fourth EuroLeague season with the same team.
Before heading to the EuroLeague and establishing himself as one of the most interesting players within the major European competition, being named in back-to-back fashion (2020-21, 2021-22) into the All-EuroLeague Second Team, Shavon Shields came a long way.
Going out of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he played his first overseas year in the Basketball Champions League and in the BBL with the Fraport Skyliners, being coached by the then FIBA World Champion Gordie Herbert. From then, he moved first to Trento and then rapidly to Baskonia, where he first put the seeds of a growing process to become one of the most elegant profiles in the EuroLeague.
“I owe a lot to the people I’ve been around and been able to play with. They’ve trusted me, they’ve put me in a position to be successful, and they’ve helped me along the way to grow as a player”, he first said about all of his previous experiences. “Confidence, learning the game, and being smarter from that standpoint as well have been huge. I owe that to everybody I’ve been around from coaches to teammates, because basketball is a team sport, it’s not just one person”, the 29-year-old added.
Among the people he has had the opportunity to learn from, there must be two legends of the game like Ettore Messina, who wanted him on his team back in 2020, and Kyle Hines. “Each of them brought different things to me. Defensively they put me in a position to be successful, talking with advice. “You shouldn’t do that here”, “You need to be better at these things”. Year by year, with Kyle [Hines] and coach [Ettore] Messina we’ve built a relationship and they’ve helped me tremendously”, he commented.
Since this summer, moreover, he has found another former NBA player to share the court with. “And then day by day with [Nikola] Miro, we’ve been learning this first month together and he brings a whole different dynamic offensively. Obviously, from an experience standpoint, it’s huge for us and it will be going forward”, he said before expressing his wish for this season. “I hope we can have success, obviously. I just hope we stay healthy, and can really build day by day, getting better week in and week out. Hopefully, in the end, we have success”, Shavon Shields added.
Past teammates, World Champs, and new formats
Playing in the Olathe Northwest High School back in Kansas, it’s crazy to think that after more than ten years in the making, he will be divided by only one hour of driving from one of his former high school teammates like Willie Cauley-Stein, who decided to move to Europe to join Luis Scola’s Varese.
Talking about the former Sacramento Kings center, the naturalized Danish forward has nothing but great words. “He’s a great person, a great player. He’s super talented and athletic, he can really do everything, especially at his size. I hope it’s a great situation for him, I hope he finds a lot of fun, and a good role in Varese, continuing to get better and grow, helping them have a good season”, Shavon Shields commented on the 6th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
While Willie Cauley-Stein is part of Olimpia Milano’s small forward’s past experiences, the present talks (also) German, having two World Champions in the locker room. “They played amazing, the way they were moving the ball and playing together: they deserve the championship, and I’m super happy for Maodo [Lo] and Jo [Voigtmann] to get it done“, he first said about Germany winning it all in Manila.
“That’s super cool. I went through each game with Jo [Voigtmann], how he was feeling, and what he thought of the different players he faced throughout. It’s a super cool experience for them, and I’m so happy for them. Being a World Champion must be the coolest thing in the world. That’s awesome”, Shavon Shields added.
Heading into his 6th EuroLeague year – averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game since his first appearances with Baskonia in 2018 until the very last with the Italian side in 2023 -, the 4th one with Olimpia Milano, Shavon Shields can now state he belongs to the competition, which has gotten better and better. In his eyes, “this is the deepest EuroLeague has been with so many teams having such great rosters, great clubs, and programs that have been put together”.
The “Every Game Matters” motto will be even more significant in the 2023-24 season. “It’s one to eighteen any night, anybody can beat anybody, and there are a lot of people who can make a Final Four and a championship run. It will definitely be interesting: each team has added a bunch of new interesting players”, Shavon Shields added before giving his opinion on the introduction of the Play-In.
“I think it adds a different dynamic, especially come playoff time. Those top couple spots mean a lot more, so that you don’t have to mess with that game. I think it’s a cool dynamic added, and it makes it more fun for the fans. If you’re a team that didn’t start well, and finish well is on the cusp, those teams can make a run, and it’s cool. I like it”, the 29-year-old small forward finally stated.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano