Gianmarco Pozzecco: 'I apologized to Giannis' / News - Basketnews.com

Gianmarco Pozzecco revealed he met Giannis Antetokounmpo in the teams' hotel and immediately apologized to the Milwaukee Bucks star for his famous jump after a surprising victory over Serbia.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Gianmarco Pozzecco's jump on Giannis Antetokounmpo became as viral as the biggest upset of the EuroBasket 2022.

Italy / Schedule

Italy Croatia81-76 Great Britain Italy56-90 Serbia Italy86-94 France ItalyWed15:15

Seconds before the emotional victory against Serbia, Italy's national team head coach saw the Greek Freak in the tunnel of Mercedes-Benz Arena, jumped on him, and kissed him.

"I love you, Giannis!" he screamed and ran to the gym to celebrate with his players.

Before the EuroBasket quarterfinal vs. France, Pozzecco revealed to BasketNews that he apologized to the Milwaukee Bucks star the next day.

Pozzecco met him in the elevator of the teams' hotel.

"Sorry, Giannis," he told the NBA finals MVP. "I apologized, of course."

"But I was happy because we were winning," he explained to the player. "And he started to laugh."

A 49-year-old head coach didn't share the details of their private conversation. But Pozzecco said some nice words about one of the best players in the world.

"Most of the time, you can't split the player and the person. If one guy is amazing on the court, he is usually amazing as a person. And Giannis is a perfect example. He is an amazing person," the coach added.

Coach revealed he was in the locker with the team doctor, who was preparing recovery drinks for the players. Also, there was his friend from the ALBA Berlin youth team who works as a volunteer in the EuroBasket.

"It was strange because it was eightfinals of EuroBasket, and I'm in the locker room watching the game on TV with my friend as if I was supposed to drink one beer and relax," Pozzecco smiled.

"But it was not that situation. And when I go out, I meet the best player Giannis. We were beating Serbia… In my opinion, that was probably the highest moment in Italian basketball because we beat probably the best Serbia ever," he concluded.

Pozzecco put up another show on the eve of the quarterfinal game vs France.

In the official press conference held in the team's hotel, Pozzecco spoke Italian, English, and even Serbian.

He was less thrilled than in the Round of 16 game, but he was sincere and emotional talking about his team's impressive turnaround in the EuroBasket.

How much money is left in your bank account after you give your credit card to the players after winning vs. Serbia? First time I gave Marco Spissu a credit card was in Sassari. It was three in the morning, and I received a call from him. But I didn't answer, because I was sleeping.

The next day he was so mad because the pin I gave him was wrong. For example, my pin was 10200, but I forgot it and told him 10210. Two days ago, it happened the same. Marco called my assistant and said: that motherfucker had made a mistake again. I said this is not possible! But it was working the second time they tried to pay with my card.

I don't know. My wife didn't call me yet, so they didn't spend much.

After the game, you stayed in the tunnel and hugged all the Serbian players. Why? What did you say to them?Whether you win or lose, you must respect the opponent. I know Serbian players, and they really love basketball. I know the frustration for them at that moment was so high. So I tried to show my respect.

I know Danilovic, who is maybe the best person I met in my life. He was so nice to me when they ejected me. I saw him, and I just went to hug him. I wanted a hug from one big friend of mine.

This is basketball. You can get mad, you can cheat, you can scream to a referee. But in the end, you have to shake hands with your opponent. That's the difference between sport and life.

When everything is finished, you have to show respect, and this is the best what I love about sports. For example, I love boxing, UFC, or MMA. They fight, and after a battle, they hug.

Your behavior on the sidelines and behind the scenes. How much of it is a strategy, and how much of it is emotion?99% to 1%. As a player, I knew that if I became a coach, I wanted to be the coach I would love to have.

Coaches usually don't trust their players 100%. They think their strategies are more important than anything. I'm different because I think I'm here to support them. I support them, and I want to show it.

It's not a strategy. But it's something I grew up in myself as a basketball player, not as a coach. When I started being a coach, I was already sure what kind of coach I would like to be.

I love my players. Sometimes it's said that players could go through war for their coach. But it's totally the opposite. I go through war for them.

France and Serbia have the main star power in their frontline. What are the main similarities and differences between their bigs, and how will you try to attack them?

They're a little bit different.

Serbia plays with the stretch four most of the time. I think France has more options. They can play with stretch four Yabusele or M'Baye.

They can also play big. They're more athletic than Serbia.

We'll have to play our basketball: big effort, hard in defense, running and playing with confidence in the offense. Our strategy won't change much. My players will have to be aggressive and play with freedom.

Why was your face not on the cover of Gazzetta dello Sport the following morning after the win?Good question, can I hire you as a director of Gazzetta dello Sport?

Everybody loves soccer in our country. We work towards that direction. We want to show our country that they have to follow us. But in Italy, I'm considered a clown [by some article in Italian media]. This isn't easy.

More to follow.

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