Kruno Simon enjoyed every second spent in Milan: I wanted to stay longer

Right now, confessing that he still looks at himself as an athlete, not a former player, at 38 years of age, Kruno Simon plays basketball on a minor team in Zagreb, but since that’s not enough he also plays football on an even more… minor team, "we are in the fifth division," he smiles. Simon had talent as a footballer, flair, imagination, creativity. The same traits he showed on the basketball court. As for the future, he is mulling what to do when he grows up, always next to the sound of the bouncing ball as he says. Looking back at the last eight years of his career, he thinks they couldn’t have been more beautiful, so beautiful “that I’m not sure I deserved them, just like these individual awards”.

Kruno Simon: what did you know about Olimpia Milano when you came here in 2015?

"I had always heard good things about this club, and I was excited to be part of it. I had the feeling from the first second that this was a great club and that I would live in a city where I would be happy. In the end, I only stayed for two years, but my first impression was very good, and it was also very correct. I felt good from the first to the last second. For me it is one of the greatest clubs in Europe.”

Coach Repesa wanted you.

"I think it was one of the first things he did in Milan. He called me because he knew what I could give to the team. He was one of the reasons for my signing, but even when he left, I had the hope of being able to stay. I wasn’t tied to him. I hoped to be able to play for Olimpia longer. But sport is like that. When a new coach comes, he wants to make his own choices. So, I had to leave. Then if you look at how my career was after Milan, I would say that it didn’t go so bad, but when they told me to leave, it was a sad moment for me. It was sad for my wife. It was sad for everyone to leave Olimpia and Milan.”

The first season began with some problems, the turning point came later.

"It was a strange season; I think we had a better team than it showed on the court. At the beginning we lost the Super Cup in Turin against Reggio Emilia. We didn’t start well, but then in the middle of the season there were some changes. Some new players arrived starting with Mantas Kalnietis. Unfortunately, we did poorly in the Euroleague, but in the Italian Cup and in the championship we played well. I think it was a good season, we won two trophies and thus corrected the disappointment of not qualifying for the Top 16 of the Euroleague”.

In the championship final against Reggio Emilia, the championship field goal was yours.

"For me it was the first championship won in my career apart from one won in Zagreb. I was 29, 30 years old. It was special. Then we beat Reggio Emilia which at the time had a great team, talented players and they played on a court that was very hard to play on. We won in Game 6, but we lost the previous two games in Reggio Emilia. It was a crucial game because in a Game 7 you never know what can happen. I’ve seen strange things happen in sports. It was important for me, for the club and making the championship basket was naturally beautiful.”

The second season began with the Super Cup won in Milan. Kruno Simon was the MVP of that tournament.

"We played here in Milan, we played well, all weekend. For me and the team it was the best way to enter the new season. My confidence level was at the top. I had just returned from a very good Olympic tournament in Rio de Janeiro, I was happy to continue playing in Italy. It was a great, great win".

In that season many injuries compromised the end, especially in the playoffs, perhaps even the possibility for you to stay longer.

"I was an important piece of that team. When a key player is out it’s normal that you start to wonder when he’ll be back, in what condition, what problems he has. I’ve been injured several times; I’ve had strange back problems. I tried to return five times and all five times I had to stop myself again. It was frustrating, because I wanted to play, it’s always tough being out. And then it’s true that at the end of the season the club looked at me and thought that I didn’t give guarantees of being 100% healthy. I get it, it happens all the time. They thought they’d bring in new, more reliable people, that’s what happened to me. I didn’t know what would happen myself, I was also worried about injuries. Then, as I said, in the end it went well, but at that moment I was disappointed and uncertain about what the future had in store for me.”

In the end, what memories do you have of a period in which Olimpia brought home four consecutive trophies in Italy?

"I think Olimpia should always be at the top in Europe too. In those two years we didn’t do it, and this saddens me. But I always played with passion, I had a special connection with the fans, I enjoyed being here, I had fun. If you ask me how I evaluate my two years in Milan, I say that they were two of the best of my life. Afterwards I went to Efes, I won a lot and I have a special bond with that club. But after eight years, looking back, I say that they were two great years, individually, on and off the court. I’ve always said it, my wife has always been happy here, our first child was born here. I have always had and always will have a special relationship with Milan.”

From afar we saw you do incredible things with Efes.

"It was like a dream come true. Spending the final part of your career at the highest levels, winning the Euroleague twice is something indescribable especially because the start was negative. Nobody remembers that in my first year we finished last. Then Coach Ataman arrived, he changed a lot, keeping only three players from the previous team. I was lucky: I was one of those three. From the first practice I could tell that things would be different, I was surrounded by incredible players, among the best in the league. They made me feel great on the court, I had fun playing with them, helping them, improving day by day. And we immediately went to the Euroleague final, losing against a great CSKA Moscow team, but then we never could be stopped. When they interrupted the season due to Covid we were at the top, then we won twice in my last two seasons. It’s incredible, like I said we turned a dream into reality.”

What’s in Kruno Simon’s future?

"Today I don’t know yet, I’m still fresh in my career, in fact I still think I’m a player. I will stay in basketball, because it is what I do best, what I enjoy, I don’t know if as a coach, as a manager, as an agent, assistant, individual coach, I don’t know. But I want to stay close to the court, close to the gym, close to the sound of the ball bouncing. It’s my life, it’s the only thing I really enjoy.”

Efes retired your number 44, Olimpia put you in the Hall of Fame.

"It’s difficult to describe what I feel, sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve it. Nothing more beautiful can happen to you in your career. When somebody gives you a chance and puts you up there, on a wall, or retires your number like they did in Istanbul. They are the best awards you can receive in your career. They mean that you have left a good memory not only on the court but also off it. I like to think that I have had a part in the history of my clubs, but for me more than anything it is a fantastic feeling.”