Nik Melli and Chacho Rodriguez will share the honor to be Olimpia’s Captain for the season
It is the second time that club names two captains, after the 2006/07 season when Joseph Blair and Dante Calabria shared the same honor.
Nicolò Melli and Sergio Rodriguez have been named Olimpia’s co-captain for the upcoming season. "It is a decision that we made all together – the club’s general manager Christos Stavropoulos said -, naming two players that represent a lot for us: Nicolò because of his personal story, Sergio for what his coming to Milan meant for the club. This is not just a symbolic honor: those two guys are role models in terms of professionalism and dedication that all the Olimpia world can identify with."
"I’m very glad to have been named, along Chacho, as the team’s Captain – Nicolò Melli said -. Just the fact that the entire group validated the choice, in spite of me being a newcomer, makes me happy and proud. To be able to tell that I’m the Olimpia Milano’s Captain is a privilege that not many players have enjoed. So, Thanks! However, there’s a long road ahead that hopefully will present many beautiful moments and at the end I hope we can achieve important goals."
30 years old, a Reggio Emilia native, Melli came back to Olimpia this last summer after six years spent abroad, but he wore the Olimpia’s red and white jersey for five more seasons in the past. He played 177 Italian league games (187 times he was registered for a game), with 928 points scored and 698 rebounds grabbed for Olimpia. He also appeared in 82 EuroLeague games, with 390 points and 275 rebounds. He was a member of the 2014 Olimpia championship team.
"Being named Captain is a huge honor, sharing the role with Nicolò will be a pleasure – Sergio Rodriguez said -, but it is also a big responsibility. I’ve always been proud to represent Olimpia and the city of Milano, where the people made me feel like at home, and doing it as the team Captain makes me happier. What’s important now is to keep working well, improve and set the foundation necessary to reach the goals we set up for the season."
35 years old, from the Canary Island, Sergio Rodriguez came to Milan during the summer of 2010. He has appeared in 65 EuroLeague games, with 725 points scored and 316 assists made (first all-time with Olimpia). He also led the team to the 2020 Supercup and 2021 Italian Cup trophies and to the 2021 EuroLeague Final Four.
It is the second time that club names two captains, after the 2006/07 season when Joseph Blair and Dante Calabria shared the same honor.