By Bilal Baran Yardimci/ info@eurohoops.net
Luigi Datome‘s decision to stay with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in a non-playing role following retirement combines with a special event in the opening round of the 2023-24 edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Fenerbahce Beko will honor Datome before the tipoff of the Regular Season Round 1 contest today, Friday.
Datome, 35, talked to Eurohoops about his run with Fener between 2015 and 2020. The team based in Istanbul was the penultimate stop of his club career, before three years with Olimpia Milan and wrapping up his playing career with Italy in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“They did something similar when I came as a player, but now I can enjoy everything because I am not a player. I don’t need to focus on the game,” he thanked Fenerbahce for celebrating his contributions.
Returning to Europe from the NBA, Datome was a huge part of the 2017 EuroLeague championship.
“Incredible years,” he recalled, “We brought Fenerbahce to the elite level of Europe. It was an incredible honor to be a part of that team and I am proud.”
“Those years were so special, not only because we won, but also because we were an incredible group of guys,” added Datome, “We still feel like teammates with Bogdan [Bogdanovic], Jan [Vesely], Bobby [Dixon], Kostas [Sloukas], [Nikola] Kalinic, Ekpe [Udoh], Pero [Antic]. All those guys, feel like they are still teammates. This is the most important thing. We played together for a short part of our life. Of course, we tried to do our best. But these relationships and friendships stay forever. I am glad I met so many friends here.”
No predictions for the 2023-24 EuroLeague season
The new season of Europe’s premier club continental competition is underway. The balanced field with numerous championship contenders makes any predictions risky.
Concluding the interview with Eurohoops, Datome shared his take. “They are many good rosters. But is not enough to have a good roster. You must find chemistry, to be healthy,” he explained refraining from picking a specific favorite.