Marco Belinelli and his retirement: the story of the only Italian to win an NBA ring.
Bologna, August 18, 2025 – Marco Bellinelli announced his retirement from basketball today . "I put my heart into it. Every bit of myself. Every single day," he wrote in a post. "Basketball has given me everything... and I've given it everything. It's not easy to say goodbye. But it's time. I carry with me every emotion, every sacrifice, every applause. Thank you to those who have always been there. To the younger ones, I leave a dream. Make it worth it."
Thank you, Beli . A heartfelt thanks for a quarter-century of fairytales, with a (human) story bordering on popular fiction. From San Giovanni in Persiceto to Washington (the White House), not forgetting the Vatican and Pope Francis . A novel, that of Marco Belinelli , 39 years old, three Italian championships and, uniquely, the only Italian to have won an NBA ring. A story that begins in 1986, when Marco Stefano was born after his brothers Enrico and Umberto. His father, Daniele, is a doctor, and his mother is called Iole.
His brothers are older and pass on to Marco a passion for sports. Basketball , especially the NBA . Marco spends hours in front of the screen trying to grasp the secrets of the stars and stripes aces. Too young to be struck by the path of Michael Jordan, without denying his greatness. A Lakers fan because Kobe Bryant plays in California, someone who took his first steps in Italy, between Reggio Calabria, Reggio Emilia, and Pistoia, not exactly metropolises. Marco enjoys basketball, grows up in Vis Persiceto , and rides his bike to practice. Max Milli , part of the black and white world of Virtus, notices him, and from then on, Marco's life changes. No longer to the gym on his bike, but to Arcoveggio accompanied by his mother Iole and father Daniele. Marco Sanguettoli , the magician of youth, follows him. Marco, in Belinelli's sense, begins to build the label of predestined.
Born in 1986 , he shares the black and white world with his twin brother Luca Vitali . On April 4, 2002 - he had turned 16 just over a week before - Ettore Messina called him up to the twelve: against Udine everything went so smoothly that the coach decided to throw him into the fray at the PalaMalaguti . He played for 5 minutes and the first three points: 1-1 from long range, did you have any doubts?
The following year, Messina was no longer with the team, replaced by Boscia Tanjevic . Sani Becirovic immediately broke down, and Marco, at 16, beardless, with a jersey that seemed too large for his shoulders, began to shoot hoops. He was little more than a child, it was Marco Madrigali's last Virtus —the one with the Becirovic ruling and subsequent disbarment—but Cinno, despite his age, had talent and personality .
He made 22 appearances : according to the rules, he would have been entitled to a professional contract. Virtus had other thoughts. In hindsight, another poor decision by the club, which could have tied him down for five years. The summer of 2003 was the hottest: legend has it that there was a real camp under Belinelli's house. Treviso wanted him, Siena , which was not yet the battleship it would be in the following years. Roma and Roberto Brunamonti were after him.
Fortitudo wins, because Marco is tied to the local area and Zoran Savic convinces him with good arguments. Which aren't economic; Marco's choices, despite having earned a lot in his career, are never tied to the number of zeros on his paychecks. But to his projects and the chance to play. He goes to Fortitudo , where under Jasmin Repesa he becomes an important factor. His friendships with Stefano Mancinelli and Robert Fultz , his connection with Gianluca Basile . The Scudetto in Milan on June 16, 2005, and a sensational dunk against Napoli, all while pivoting.
Yes, Beli the shooter becomes a real athlete : his sights shift overseas. He plays for Fortitudo and the Euroleague , plays for the national team—he becomes the fourth-highest scorer ever for the Azzurri with 2,258 points in 154 games—and declares for the NBA draft . On June 28, 2007, he is selected in the first round with the number 18 pick. The Golden State Warriors take him, but Steph Curry, who is two years younger, is still a long way off. The franchise isn't the best. On July 8 of the same year, he makes his Summer League debut with 37 points. A sensational debut , but the road is not easy for Beli. Andrea Bargnani first and then Danilo Gallinari are the predestined. He, on paper (but only on paper, let's be clear), is one of many. He has to earn everything with great sacrifice. Don Nelson almost ignores him. For fans, who compare him to Sylvester Stallone, he becomes Rocky .
He plays little, he's just over twenty, but he doesn't give up. He goes to Toronto , where he finds Bargnani as a teammate, then to New Orleans , where there are alligators in the rivers. He lands in Chicago : there even Barack Obama falls in love with him. There, the famous scene with the balls remains legendary. Everyone talks about Bargnani and Gallinari, he becomes the first Italian to make it past a round in the playoffs .
From Illinois to Texas in 2013 : there are Ginobili's Spurs. There is the guru Gregg Popovich. For Don Nelson he was a kid, for Gregg he is someone who comes in and scores. He wins the three-point shooting contest at the All-Star Game – the first Italian to do so – but the consecration comes on June 15, 2014. San Antonio wins the NBA title, Beli cries with the tricolor on his shoulders . "I did it, I did it." The City of Bologna awards him the Nettuno d'Oro in September , one day later, a great celebration in San Giovanni, with the Pesco d'Oro , another highest honor.
He's received by Obama at the White House . The Potus (President of the United States) is a Bulls fan and tells him how much he misses him. A few years later, he'll be received by Pope Francis —not bad, huh?
He remains in the NBA, where Martina , his longtime girlfriend , joins him. Mom and dad follow him from afar, and his interests, in addition to his brothers, are looked after by Elisa Guarnieri, his manager. Sacramento, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Philadelphia: everyone wants him . Marco continues to score and daydream. He returns to San Antonio , but is blocked, like many, by Covid. But now, even if the bond with Sangio is very strong, he is at home in the States. He is passionate about tattoos - he has one of the San Giovanni cap -, music, and fashion. At 34 , perhaps, after thirteen grueling seasons, he decides to return to Italy . Milan seems the obvious destination, but instead he returns to Virtus , where it all began. Sale Djordjevic, a man who wore the Milan jersey in 2005, when Beli won the first championship, wants him very strongly.
Three-year deal for Marco : immediately a championship , then a EuroCup , three Super Cups , plenty of three-pointers, and a near-perfect understanding, first with Milos Teodosic and then Alessandro Pajola . He marries Martina , and they have children: Nina Sophie and Deva Vittoria . He continues to score, even as the years pass. His speed of execution is impressive.
He became captain of Virtus . And after three championship finals, he lost the 2025 playoffs , always against Milan. We discovered once again how attached he is to Virtus and how much his teammates love him, in game five against Venice.
“Belinelli’s adventure couldn’t have ended like this,” says Daniel Hackett.
After beating Venice, there was a 3-1 victory over Milan (finally) and a 3-0 victory over Brescia. The apotheosis and the Scudetto . Yes, Beli da Sangio can retire happy.
İl Resto Del Carlino
