Italy’s loss to Slovenia in the MundoBasket 7-8 qualifying match was historic as it was the last game played by Gigi Datome in his great career.
The Italian captain was emotional but light-hearted in his post-match remarks, joking that his team-mates might have said “finally” due to the many and varied celebrations that have lasted throughout the summer.
He also emphasized that he is grateful that he chose when to finish his career and underlined the high level that Italy has shown in the last competitions.
In detail, what he said:
“Thank you for the warm applause. It was one of many gestures made for me this summer, a gesture of love and respect. It was a very emotional day for me, that’s probably why I played so well in the minutes I played.
We tried to finish with a win, although it was not a very important game. My teammates played hard and tried to make me finish my career with a win.
After many years I learned that winning is not the most important thing in life. As a captain I’m proud of the way we fought in all the games, except the one against the USA, because they were so much better than us. I am grateful to my team-mates, they have treated me brilliantly this summer. It was the best summer of my life because my teammates, Ponceco and my coaches made it special.
There are so many people to thank. I’m sure I’ll forget some. Opponents, the referees, who do the hardest job in the world and are only remembered when they do something wrong. It’s a tough job, but without them we can’t play, so I thank them. I thank the journalists, my teammates, my former teammates, my coaches, my previous coaches. I feel grateful. I feel happy. Thank you all again.
I don’t regret anything. It was my decision to retire, no one forced me. I’m healthy enough to keep playing. But I think it’s a good time to retire. That’s another reason I feel grateful, because not many players can decide when to end their career, to do it at such an age, with their national team and as captain. It’s an honor and I feel lucky for it. I feel good about myself and that’s the most important thing when you stop your career.
The fact that the match stopped and the people of Italy came to hug me is one of the many special moments I experienced this summer. Maybe my teammates are saying ‘he’s finally retired’, because the celebrations lasted all summer. Thanks again to everyone. And the opponents who stopped the match to show me their respect.
In the last few years we have shown that we are at the level of the top eight in every tournament. Olympic Games, EuroBasket, MundoBasket. We are definitely missing something. Sometimes we push our limits, and this overexertion doesn’t allow us to finish strong.
If we want to get to the medals, everyone has to do something better, whether it’s tactically or athletically. It is a good lesson, to say that we are at a good level, but we need something more if we want to go further. We’re always very close, but we can’t break that wall after the quarterfinals. I hope in the future we will».
Source: Sport Fm
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