Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo is eyeing a candidate for Italy’s Olympic team

NBA

by Stephen Bondy

HOUSTON — Knicks sharp guard Donte DiVincenzo said he “would love to” represent Italy at the upcoming Olympics, but hurdles remain between eligibility.

“Ideally, I would like to do that,” DiVincenzo told the Post. “I don’t know if that’s possible, even logically and given how everything is going to play out. But if everything works out perfectly, I’d love to do it.”

Mr. DiVincenzo, who was born in the United States of Italian descent, said he is in the process of securing the necessary documents for citizenship and hopes to be “almost done.”

Another concern, as DiVincenzo outlined, is whether the Knicks’ playoff berth will impact the Olympic qualifying tournament, which begins a few weeks after the NBA Finals conclude.

“This takes into account multiple factors,” he says.

Italy, unlike the United States, must qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Italian national team will play Bahrain in the opening game of the Olympic qualifiers on July 2nd, followed by Puerto Rico on July 4th.

Both games will take place in Puerto Rico. The Olympic Games begin on July 27th.

“There are still some hoops to jump through,” DiVincenzo told the Post. “But what I have told my family and my agent is that I want to represent my country. And I hope that I can get all the paperwork in order and get out there as soon as possible.”

Only one naturalized player per team is allowed in FIBA ​​tournaments, and the Italians are keen to secure that slot for Orlando Magic big man Paolo Banchero ahead of the 2023 World Cup. Ta.

However, Banchero, whose father is of Italian descent, broke his verbal commitment and chose Team USA.

In response, the president of the Italian federation accused Banchero of “deceiving us.” This ordeal may help explain the hesitance to bring DiVincenzo on board.

The newspaper contacted the Italian Basketball Federation for comment via email.

DiVincenzo, unlike Banchero, was not on Team USA’s 41-man Olympic roster. The Delaware native will be the only naturalized Italian player in Paris.

Italians have not won an Olympic medal since winning silver at the 2004 Athens Games, where they lost to Argentina in the final.

She finished fifth at the 2020 Japan Games, an impressive result considering she missed out on qualifying for the previous three Olympics.

The Knicks have two players in the U.S. Olympic pool in Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, but they will be included in the squad after legends Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry put their names in the hat. The chance for the team hit a snag.

Brunson and Hart were both part of the U.S. team that finished fourth at the 2023 World Cup and were teammates with DiVincenzo at Villanova University.

Regarding the possibility of DiVincenzo joining Italy and competing at the Olympics, Brunson said on Monday: … It’s an opportunity for him, and if he wants to do it, I’d be happy to support that decision. ”

The U.S. team earned an automatic bid to the Olympics.

“Whether we play or not, it is what it is, because we’ve had a lot of battles,” Brunson added.

DiVincenzo is also set to become a first-time father in time for the Olympics, with girlfriend Morgan Carantoni revealing on Instagram last week that she is eight months pregnant with a boy.

DiVincenzo told the Post that post-basketball plans include opening their own shelter for rescue dogs, a project the couple has been talking about “for the past six or seven years.” Ta.

They have taken steps to try to identify land to house the dogs and are “bit by bit learning more about foundations and rescues working the right way.”

So DiVincenzo has plenty to offer, including his meteoric rise with the Knicks this season (he entered Monday with the most treys of any player in the Eastern Conference since Dec. 30) and his ability to represent Italy at the Olympics. There’s a lot going on, like possibilities.