Farewell to Paola Mauriello, the former Italian basketball champion, who died at the age of 44.

The basketball world is in mourning: Paola Mauriello, a former Italian champion, has died at just 44 years old. She had been ill for some time.

Basketball mourns : Paola Mauriello has died at just 44. A former basketball player, she won the league title and a Super Cup with Napoli Vomero, and with the Italian national team, she won gold at the 2009 Mediterranean Games.

Paola died at the Pescara hospital after a long illness, surrounded by her loved ones, especially her husband Antonello and her son Luciano. The funeral will be held today, Monday, August 11, at 5:00 PM in Francavilla al Mare, in the province of Chieti.

Who was Paola Mauriello?

Paola Mauriello has died at the age of 44 after a long illness. Born in Benevento, she played in Serie A basketball with Napoli Vomero, Faenza and Ragusa, Ribera, and Basket Parma. At the Italian Basketball Federation (FIB), she was also responsible for the women's movement. Francesco Di Girolamo, president of the Abruzzo Basketball Federation (FIB), said: " I am heartbroken. Paola was a champion who, after her career, made herself available to the younger generations and had been working with us since 2020, her second term. She had the enormous merit of being a dual point of reference for all of us, as she managed to instill great values in young people, building on her outstanding career as a player, while also being an inexhaustible source of ideas and commitment to our Regional Council. Paola's example will forever remain with us at FIB Abruzzo and with all those who were fortunate enough to share a part of her basketball journey with her."