Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was granted Italian citizenship on a sporting basis earlier this month to participate with Italy’s national team in international events. He announced today via the Italian basketball federation (Twitter video link) that he will miss this summer’s EuroBasket due to a recent “physical issue” he experienced as he began preparing for the tournament.
“What’s up everyone? I just wanted to say how happy and thankful I am and excited I am to finally become an Italian citizen,” DiVincenzo said (hat tip to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando). “I want to thank the federation and Italian institutions for making all this happen and being possible in record time.
“Unfortunately, I’m sorry I will not be able to join the national team this summer due to a physical issue that over the last few days forced me to make this difficult, difficult decision. But my goal remains the same. It remains with the journey of Italian basketball going forward, you know, World Cup and the Olympics, and for a very long time. So I just wanted to show my commitment, send my best of luck to the team, and see you all soon.”
According to Maggi, at a press conference on Wednesday in Milan, national team coordinator Gigi Datome clarified that DiVincenzo felt pain in his left big toe, the same digit which cost him 19 games last season due to a turf toe issue.
“On 21 July, we received clearance from the (Timberwolves),” Datome said. “Donte was resuming training, but between 22 and 23 July, he felt discomfort in his big toe, which had already cost him a month out this season. We set a deadline yesterday, and according to doctors and specialists, we were talking about three to four months of therapy, so it wasn’t possible. He sent the video to show that we were on the same page. That’s how it went.”
Aggravating the toe injury sounds somewhat ominous, particularly given the timeline Datome mentioned. However, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears the Wolves view DiVincenzo’s EuroBasket absence as a precautionary measure and the team isn’t concerned about his availability for the start of next season.