For three years now, Euroleague duels between Asvel and the Virtus Bologna are an opportunity for reunions for Marco Belinelli And Tony Parkerteammates in San Antonio from 2013 to 2015.
This will again be the case this evening at the Astroballe during the fifth day, while the Villeurbannais are still chasing their first success and have just changed coaches with the arrival of Gianmarco Pozzecco.
Ten years ago, the two were preparing to seek the latest title for the Texan franchise by correcting Miami (4-1) in the final. Now, Tony Parker and Marco Belinelli have once again become players in European basketball, where it all began for them. One as president, the other as a player, within his very first club, Virtus Bologna, where he has played since 2020 after a last stint at Spurs. At 37, the Italian full-back will even make the fun last a little longer since he has extended it until 2025.
At the end of an intense training, on the eve of the match, Marco Belinelli took a few moments for BasketUSA to talk about this return to his roots, his relationship with Tony Parker and this evening’s meeting, where he will find other familiar faces like Gianmarco Pozzecco with whom he played at the very beginning of his career, or Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, his former teammate at the Sixers (2017/18), whom he could well deal with in defense.
Marco Belinelli, you chose to return to Italy three years ago, to Virtus Bologna. What assessment do you draw up, three years later?
I am very happy with my choice. After my last year in the league with the Spurs, I became a free agent. I was super happy to be able to return to Virtus Bologna with president Massimo Zanetti, GM Luca Baraldi, great players and great coaches. I am very happy to be part of Virtus Bologna. It also allowed me to come home with my wife, reunite with my family, my friends. So everything went very well.
Was it also a way of giving back to European basketball where you started, and to Italian basketball?
Completely. I spent 13 years in the NBA in total, I was able to tour the league a little bit. I also knew 8 or 9 teams. I felt it was the right time for me to come back to Bologna. Of course, they also gave me the opportunity, not only to come home, but above all to still be myself, and to play to win. And that’s what we did straight away because in my first year, we won the Italian championship. It was the club’s first championship title in twenty years, it was like a dream come true for us, and especially for me, surrounded by my wife, my family and friends.
“When I had the opportunity to sign for San Antonio, and play with these kinds of players, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, for me it was like a dream.”
You face Asvel this evening, the team chaired by your former Spurs teammate Tony Parker. How do you view his leadership career and his way of giving back to European basketball?
I have known Tony for ten years now since I played with him in San Antonio starting in 2013. I had the honor of being his teammate and winning an NBA championship alongside him. I respect him, he’s a great guy and we really had a good time together. It’s been a while since he started this process to become team president. I’m happy to see it’s working for him, I’m proud for him. He’s a good person, and I’m always happy to be able to greet him and other friends when we come to play here.
What do you remember from these two years at Spurs alongside him?
You know, TP, he’s one of the best European players to have played in the NBA. When I had the opportunity to sign for San Antonio, and play with those kinds of players, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, for me it was like a dream. He supported me a lot in my transition to understand what it was like to be a Spurs player. As a playmaker too, he helped me a lot. I enjoyed every moment spent with him on the field.
Your first year in 2013/14, did you quickly sense the state of mind of this team, on a mission to return to the finals?
Clearly, from the start of the “training camp”. I think I was the only new player on the team. The year before, they lost 4-3 to Miami with that famous Ray Allen shot. And so that was the mission from the very beginning. And indeed, this team will remain really special for me. All my teammates that year were incredible. There was of course Tony Parker but I also think of Boris Diaw. It was truly a perfect season.
“There was clearly something special with this Spurs team in 2014”
Also on the pitch, have you ever experienced such a feeling of perfection?
We worked a lot that year for this goal, to win the title. It’s clear that when you arrive at a team like San Antonio, with Gregg Popovich, with this style of organization, that’s always the goal. So to achieve this, we prepared from the start, and we improved our game to become a better team over time and also to remain a big family. I have excellent memories of this season. I believe that between February and April, we won around twenty matches in a row (19). There was clearly something special about this team.
With the arrival of the finals dominated as rarely…
The Finals were incredible. It was a simple game, simple basketball, played by intelligent players. Everyone was ready to pass the ball from one side to the other, to really play together. Winning the title playing like that remains a very strong moment.
Does this common history give a particular flavor to this match against Asvel?
Obviously a little, that’s for sure, even if in the Euroleague, each match is special. Every match is important, every point counts. This is definitely the case for a team like ours. It will be an opportunity for us to improve our game, play as a team. It’s clear that we are going to play to try to win. We know that there is a good team up front, with good players, and a new coach, Gianmarco Pozzecco. It will be up to us to approach the match in the best way and set the tone immediately.
What do you think of his choice to recruit Gianmarco Pozzecco as coach?
I had the chance to play with Gianmarco Pozzecco (at Fortitudo Bologna between 2003 and 2005). He’s a great guy and he’s a good friend. But I was never under his command as a player. So I don’t know more than that about the style of coach he is. Many people told me he was a good person and a good coach. I of course wish him good luck for this new opportunity.
LDLC Asvel – Virtus Bologna
Fifth day of Euroleague, this evening at the Astroballe from 8 p.m. (live on Skweek TV)
Photo credit: Virtus Bologna
