By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Deciding both encounters in the EuroLeague against Partizan Belgrade with two game-winners for Virtus Bologna, Iffe Lundberg now moved to the black-and-white Serbian powerhouse, joining Zeljko Obradovic‘s team on a two-year deal.
However, he could have gone back to the NBA, where he already spent time with the Phoenix Suns. Talking to the Danish show Crunch Time on TV 2 Sport, the 29-year-old Danish player – the first in his country’s history to debut both in the EuroLeague and the NBA – revealed a backstory.
“It was not a difficult choice for me. It may sound a bit crazy, but I had no doubts at all”, Iffe Lundberg clearly said about refusing an offer coming from the recently-crowned NBA Champions. The Boston Celtics indeed wanted him to strengthen Joe Mazzulla’s roster.
He wanted more responsibilities and decided to stay in Europe. “The Boston Celtics were very honest and transparent in their approach to me. I would have become something like the 15th man on the team and really only a training player. So nothing with guaranteed playing time or opportunities. It doesn’t work for me anymore. I need playing time on the pitch”, the Danish guard explained.
Then, he went on to praise his new club. “There are so many good things to say about Partizan Belgrade, but most importantly, the game suits my style perfectly. They have followed me for a long time, and they want to use me in my favorite position”, he said. “Partizan [Belgrade] has had me on the radar for a long time, and they have offered to join me several times in recent years”, he also added.
Iffe Lundberg went into details regarding having constant contact with the Serbian powerhouse. “This actually is the third time [Partizan has reached out to me], and it also ended up being lucky. I am very excited about what I am now going to do. I have to play for the best coach, and the best fans on the best home-court. It’s going to be wild”, he explained.
The former CSKA Moscow guard is coming off two seasons in Italy with Virtus Bologna. In the 2023-24 EuroLeague campaign, he proved to be one of the most clutch players in the whole competition, deciding several games at the bottom line. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna