The new basketball project in Rome linked to Donnie Nelson is beginning to take shape. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the American group has acquired Cremona’s sporting rights, with only a final signature still needed and considered a formality, while work is already underway to build the team that would bring the capital back to Serie A.
The first major technical piece would be Sasha Djordjevic. The former Virtus Bologna and Fenerbahce coach has been identified as the man to lead the new Roman project, which appears to be built with major ambitions and a vision that goes beyond the Italian league. The Djordjevic choice is also said to have received the approval of Luka Doncic, described as one of the key partners in the company being formed.
The meaning of Nelson’s move should be read above all through a long-term lens. His interest is tied to the possible birth of NBA Europe, a project still surrounded by uncertainty but expected to take shape in the coming years. In that scenario, Rome would become a strategic market: a major city, with history, international appeal and the potential to return to the top level after years away.
Alongside Nelson there would also be Rimantas Kaukenas, a familiar name in Italian basketball, involved in building the roster. Salvatore Trainotti, currently general manager of the Italian men’s national team, is expected to join the club structure, while Gigi Datome will not be part of the project, having turned down offers to focus on his current commitments with the Italian federation. Roberto Carmenati, longtime Dallas Mavericks scout and another link to Doncic’s NBA world, is also part of the working group.
Roma’s first home under Nelson’s group should be the Palasport di viale Tiziano, with the plan to later move to the Centrale del Foro Italico once the venue’s roof project is completed, expected by late summer 2028. The PalaEur option, meanwhile, faded after Nelson’s bid came in below the one submitted by the group connected to Paul Matiasic.
Donnie Nelson’s Roma project therefore looks like a club being built from scratch, with a strong international identity, a possible bridge toward NBA Europe and a technical structure already pointing toward high-profile names. Official confirmation is still missing, but the idea is clear: bring Rome back to big-time basketball, not just to take part, but to become a major European platform.
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