By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Returning to Fenerbahce Beko for a second spell, Nicolo Melli is excited to finally be back in Istanbul.
Besides the obvious, there was a reunion of sorts with Jose Mourinho, the new manager of the football division of Fener.
“We both have the same birthday, so maybe we celebrate together,” he jokingly told Eurohoops.
January 26 is the birthday of both Melli and the Portuguese head coach.
“The last time Mourinho coached a team that I supported, we were very successful,” he referred to a stint with Inter Milan producing the third UEFA Champions League title in team history and two Serie A championships among more achievements between 2008 and 2010, “I hope it will be the same at Fenerbahce.”
“I really missed Istanbul”
Melli, 33, focused on his 13th season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague during his interview with Eurohoops.
“It is very exciting to return to Fenerbahce,” he rejected any form of fatigue, twenty years after launching his professional career in Italy.
The experienced forward ended his first Fenerbahce spell in 2019. After playing in 108 NBA games with the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans, he reunited with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in 2021. Three years later, he is back with the Istanbul outfit.
“I really missed it,” he talked about Istanbul, “When I was with Milan and came here to play against Fenerbahce, every game was very emotional for me. I am happy to be able to experience the city again.”
“The organization has improved. Some things have been added to allow us to perform better as players. Of course, the management is almost the same,” he compared current and previous club situations.
The trade that did not happen
With the Mavs and the Pels, Melli averaged 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per contest in just over 15 minutes per game. Between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, his playing time was reduced.
“You must be confident, but you also must be mentally strong to hang in there,” he revisited his NBA career, “That is because when you are in the NBA, you do not get many opportunities. And when the opportunity comes, you really have to take it. So, you must really believe in what you do.”
“I think the main thing changing my NBA career was the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, it was bigger than basketball, but at that time I was getting minutes and we were in a good rhythm as a team. We were heading to the Playoffs. So, COVID changed a lot of things,” he added.
“The momentum we had at the beginning was gone. Then the coach changed in New Orleans. The incoming coach had different ideas about the bigs rotation,” continued Melli.
Before being traded to the Mavericks midway through the 2020-21 campaign, rumors linked him to the San Antonio Spurs.
“I do not know about that,” he said, “It would have been good if it happened because I was not getting much playing time at Dallas. Of course, you never know what is going to happen.”
Olympic medalist mother
Making it to the 2020 Olympic Games with Italy, Melli may double up in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. However, the 1984 Olympics held in the same city saw his mother, a former volleyball player, winning a silver medal with the United States.
“It is incredible,” he told Eurohoops, “I think it is very difficult to surpass that achievement.”
“Honestly, I think I made the right decision to stick with basketball. I left beach volleyball as a summer crush,” he described his relationship with the sport.