Italian basketball player DiVincenzo out of the European Championships due to injury.

Rome, July 30, 2025 - It's a cold shower for the Italian basketball team, which will be without Donte DiVincenzo at the European Championships. The Minnesota Timberwolves player will be unable to answer the call-up due to a recent recurrence of an injury. "Hello everyone, I want to tell you how happy and excited I am to finally become an Italian citizen," the 1997-born player said in a video broadcast during today's press conference with Men's National Teams Activities Coordinator Gigi Datome and Coach Gianmarco Pozzecco. "For this, I want to thank the Federation and Italian institutions for making this happen in record time. Unfortunately, I'm sorry I won't be able to join the national team this summer due to a physical issue that emerged recently, which forced me to make a very, very difficult decision. My goal, however, remains the same: to pursue a journey with Italbasket, aiming for the World Cup and the Olympic Games. However, I wanted to show my commitment, my dedication to this jersey, and wish the team the best for the European Championships. See you soon."

In place of DiVincenzo, Pozzecco has called up Darius Thompson , who will join the team on August 7th in Trieste. Datome said: "First of all, I would like to thank all the Italian institutions that made it possible for DiVincenzo to obtain Italian citizenship in record time. The great work of President Giovanni Petrucci was, as usual, crucial. We will not be able to have Donte with us this summer due to a recent recurrence of an injury whose recovery timeline does not coincide with our preparations for EuroBasket. We are disappointed, but as he himself stated, his path with the national team is a long-term one. From August 7th, we will have Darius Thompson with us, who has immediately expressed great enthusiasm to wear the Azzurri."

Pozzecco said: "It's impossible not to begin by thanking the Italian institutions for performing what I might call a small miracle: obtaining Italian citizenship for DiVincenzo in a truly short period of time. This is also thanks to our president Petrucci, whom I might call a 'master key,' a person who can open all doors, not just in the world of sports. We're disappointed that Donte won't be able to join us this summer, but injuries are unpredictable. I'm grateful to the FIP because, with Darius Thompson, we'll have a high-level option to add to a team that once again has a very clear identity this year. The boys are working with their usual sense of duty, unsparing in every training session. In a few days, we'll begin playing our first friendlies, and from Trieste we'll be ready to welcome Darius."