Donte's Peak: Knicks Star DiVincenzo Eyeing Olympic Run With Italy?
"The Big Ragu" is planning a saucy summer endeavor.
New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo disclosed to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that he is in the process of exploring his options for the 2024 Summer Olympics, planning to partake with the Italian men's national team at the Paris Games.
“Ideally, I would love to (play),” DiVincenzo told Bondy. “Logistically and how everything plays out, I don’t know if it’s possible. But if everything works out perfectly, I would love to.”
Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS
DiVincenzo, 27, was born in Delaware but his Italian heritage has followed him throughout his basketball career. He earned the nickname "The Big Ragu" from Fox Sports commentator Gus Johnson, who excitedly referenced the late Eddie Mekka's Italian-American character from the sitcom "Laverne & Shirley" after DiVincenzo tipped in a game-winning double for Villanova University in a January 2017 win over Virginia.
DiVincenzo told Bondy that "multiple factors" stand between him and his Olympic dream: for one thing, DiVincenzo is working on securing Italian citizenship as FIBA tournaments allow one "naturalized" player on each team. Italy tried to recruit Paolo Banchero into the spot but the Orlando Magic star instead joined Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart on the United States' FIBA Basketball World Cup squad.
Knicks fans perhaps hope exhaustion will keep DiVincenzo away from the international stage: whereas the Americans have already clinched one of the dozen spots in the Paris Games, Italy is one of 24 nations vying for the four leftover seeds. The Azzurri will partake in a six-squad tournament hosted by Puerto Rico later this summer, slated to face Bahrain on July 2 ... two weeks after a scheduled Game 7 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
“There’s a few more hoops to jump through,” DiVincenzo said. “But it’s something I told my family, my agent, that I wanted to do, to be able to represent a country and, hopefully, I can get all the paperwork done and be out there as soon as possible.”
The Italians currently place 13th in the most recent FIBA men's rankings. Italy is coming off an eighth-place finish in last summer's World Cup and has previously earned two silver medals in Olympic play (1980, 2004). The World Cup squad had one active NBA rep in current Detroit Piston Simone Fontecchio.
A first-year Knick, is in the midst of a career-best season after signing a four-year, $46 million contract over the offseason. Since Jan. 1, DiVincenzo has hit 3.8 three-pointers per game, the second-best tally in the NBA in the new calendar year behind only Stephen Curry and De'Angelo Russell. DiVincenzo is also averaging 18.2 points in that same span and recently put up a streak of six straight games with at least 20 points.
DiVincenzo (hamstring) is currently listed as questionable for the Knicks' final game before the All-Star break, a Wednesday night visit to Orlando (7 p.m. ET, MSG).
