Since I kicked off with a baseball Italian, I’m going to keep pressing on with sports as I try to catch up, being behind by a few of my one-Italian-a-day goal.
It’s a shame that the NBA 2011-12 season will likely be cancelled. I know the pain all too well since the pinhead NHL owners did the same for 2004-05 season; trust me, the athletes may look rich but the franchise owners get the more lucrative licensing deals and other steady revenues which aren’t dependent upon personal appearances.
Many of you might be disagreeing over this because Manu hails from Argentina which is correct. What most people get wrong is the ethnic makeup of the South American nation. Argentina is dominated by the Spanish language and culture yet there is a significant Italian faction, makeup and influence which the other nations lack (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, etc).
Being a member of the San Antonio Spurs, the guy is loved by many fans in Central Texas, both English and Spanish speaking. You see his face on billboards plugging Time Warner’s cable services.
What makes him an amazing basketball player goes beyond his heritage. Before he played in the NBA, Manu was on Argentinian and Italian teams. In Europe he earned a couple honors (MVP, Italian championships) which probably piqued the NBA’s interest yet not very much…he was chosen 57th in the 1999 draft by the Spurs. Not a very promising beginning. So he went back to keep playing in Europe until joining the Spurs in 2002 and proved to be one of the greatest steals in NBA history; with his skills, the Spurs have won three titles over the last 10 years.
Lastly, he is only one of two basketball players to have a European championship title, an NBA championship title and an Olympic gold medal (Athens 2004). The other player is Bill Bradley, now more famous for being a former US Senator to anyone under 30. Not a bad set of accomplishments! Most people think Italians are too short to play hoops effectively!