Upon Gigi Datome’s decision to retire from professional basketball after the FIBA World Cup 2023, ELPA would like to congratulate Gigi on an outstanding career, spanning over three decades and multiple countries. Besides winning the 2017 EuroLeague championship, he also won numerous domestic league titles, reached his personal dream of playing in the NBA, and always proudly wore his National team jersey.
Gigi led an exemplary role as the ultimate professional, both on and off the court. He is a pioneer in advocating for basketball players’ rights on an international level. He was one of the players who started the ELPA movement and was chosen as the first president of the association. He excelled as a selfless leader and dedicated much of his free time to help pushing for improvements of all players’ rights and working conditions. More importantly, he did so knowing that most changes will leave a much bigger impact for the next generation of EuroLeague players.
At ELPA, we would like to wish Gigi all the best in the next stage of his life, while we have no doubt that our paths will cross again soon in the world of basketball.
