By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
This Saturday has brought some controversy between Ettore Messina and his former playmaker Shabazz Napier. In an interview with Il Foglio, the Italian head coach seemed to have revealed the American guard’s desire to come back, mentioning he exchanged messages with former teammates back in Milan.
Then, the current Crvena Zvezda point guard commented on his former head coach’s declarations with an Instagram story, asking him to “stop lying” and “stop using” him as an excuse for Milan’s poor start into this year’s EuroLeague season.
Now, the former Virtus Bologna and Real Madrid head coach released a statement to clarify things. “Regarding a statement attributed to me this morning by an Italian newspaper and then taken up by numerous websites, I would like to point out that, speaking about Shabazz Napier in front of some journalists and the reasons for his departure from Milan, I have never said or hypothesized that the boy has expressed to anyone his desire to return to Olimpia. It was purely a journalist’s interpretation. I have the utmost respect for Napier, and for Crvena Zvezda, and as a principle, we never talk about players from other teams”, he said.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague