Tearing his ACL only a few weeks after signing with the Boston Celtics, one of the best Italian players ever lost the opportunity to contend for a championship straight away alongside Jayson Tatum and his teammates. Later on, he moved to Washington, Detroit, and finally to Milwaukee. After two years of absence from national team action, he came back to playing for Italy once again against the same red-and-white opponents. He ended up winning the first friendly game of the summer, being named MVP of the 2024 Trentino Basket Cup after scoring 13 points over 9/10 at the line. Catching up with the media in the aftermath, he shared his emotions behind such a comeback. “It’s a special return for me, especially after what happened two years ago, against the same team. It’s beautiful to come back on the court with these guys”, he first stated.