Nikola Mirotic: “Milan is the right place for me, I still want to chase my dreams”

"The credit goes to an act of love, yet another, by Mr. Armani and our President Dell’Orco: without them it would not have been possible to bring Nikola Mirotic here. Then the presence of Ettore Messina is important. On the market it makes my job easier. The negotiation was not long or particularly difficult. It was challenging but that’s what happens when you chase a player of this level.” This is how Olimpia’s general manager Christos Stavropoulos introduced Nikola Mirotic in Milan.

THE NEGOTIATION – "The first contact was between Christos and my agent, then I spoke with Coach Messina, and it was a wonderful conversation. He explained how he saw the team and what he would expect from me if I came and what I would find here. Then I spoke to Melli, Hines, Shields, and Pangos. They welcomed me with open arms and here I am. Milan has a great history and now is an organization built to stay at the top".

WHY MILAN – "I wanted a team with the potential to reach the Final Four, we have nothing to hide and then Olimpia deserves to be at the top in Europe. I’ve also talked to former players and only gathered good information. Olimpia has great players, experienced veterans, a great coach, and Milan is a perfect city to live in. For my family, for my children. I don’t like to feel comfortable, I don’t want any comfort zone, I want the pressure, the pressure has to be there. I’ve been here for ten days, and I was impressed by the club, how it works, how many people work to put you in a position to perform at your best. It’s the closest thing to an NBA club I’ve seen in my career. This is a club that players want to come to.”

THE PRESENCE OF COACH MESSINA – "He is a guy for whom I want to fight and compete and help win. I want to win for his team. When I was a kid trying to survive in the first team at Real Madrid, he gave me a chance. He told me to work hard and be ready for the day when the opportunity to play was going to come up. Two months later the opportunity came and from that moment it was all up. We stayed in touch; we saw each other when we were in the NBA. I think he’s one of the top two or three best coaches ever in Europe. I had the feeling that our job together wasn’t finished so I’m happy to be able to play for him again. Now that I’m 32.”

HOW MUCH HE HAS CHANGED SINCE HIS TIME IN MADRID – "I have had my solid career in the NBA and in Barcelona. I’m a blessed person, I have a nice family and I still enjoy playing basketball. I still have the same passion, I still have the same desire to chase my dreams, to win. I’m here for this.”

HIS POSITION – "The Coach told me about playing some minutes as a small forward. I like the idea and we’re already working on it in practice. With switching defenses, you can create mismatches and have an edge especially if you know how to shoot from outside and I do. In the NBA I played some 3, sometimes I did it at Barcelona, although not for much, and with good results. Besides, it’s an honor that I have been compared to Gigi Datome: he’s a great champion, a serious pro, a legend and he’s done so much for Olimpia.”

THE NEW EUROLEAGUE – "Every year it grows, every year a lot of teams get stronger, try to improve like Olimpia did. In the end it will be crucial to be ready at the right time, when it is playoff time, be in shape, and during the year, you need some luck. I think about how much this team was affected by injuries last season. But don’t just look at me, the other players that came will make us better. I agree, you need creative guards who score, but I also think this is a team sport and being in shape at the right time, and luck are decisive factors, as it was for Real Madrid last season.”

THE ITALIAN LEAGUE – "It grows year by year, every year great players arrive, better Americans that I know. It is a competitive league. Having a competitive national league helps EuroLeague teams to be better prepared. It was the same in Spain too. The national league games prepared us for the EuroLeague and will help the Italian players. The minutes they will have will make us better in the EuroLeague. Then I know there is this rivalry with Bologna that has existed for a few years, and I will immediately have the chance to taste it in the Super Cup semi-final”.

THE SUMMER – "Honestly, nothing bothers me. I’m the type of person who doesn’t let himself be influenced by what one says or writes. It doesn’t touch me. I live focused on the present, on this great challenge of playing for Olimpia. That’s all I care about.”

HIS FOOTBALL PAST – “I played with my brother, from six to 13 years of age. I still follow football today, I watch the games, check the results. Obviously, I know the story of Dejan Savicevic in Milan: in Montenegro he is a legendary player. At 13 years old, I grew too much in just one summer, I tried basketball, and it was love at first sight. I owe everything to Jadran Vujacic, my first coach, who is here today: he taught me everything, because I didn’t know how to do anything and in just a little time, he brought me to Real Madrid”.