After finding out about his divorce with Barça, Olimpia Milano was the first club that dreamed of taking over the services of Nikola Mirotic and, after numerous offers and rumors from other teams, the Italians finally announced this Thursday the hiring of the Montenegrin, who signs until 2026 with the entity owned by Giorgio Armani.
After his abrupt departure from the Palau, with the League title as the final touch but with the unilateral termination of his contract, due to his high record, unbearable for the delicate economy of the club, Mirotic’s name came to be on the agenda of the great clubs of Europe. He sounded like Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, the nouveau riche Monaco and even reached an agreement with Partizan, cut short by alleged threats from fans of the other great Serbian team, Red Star. In the end, the Mediolanum Forum will be his new home for the next three years.
“I am very happy to be part of this great Olimpia Milano family and to contribute to the competitiveness of this great team and organization. I will do my best to repay the trust that Mr. Armani and Mr. Dell’Orco have placed in me”, indicated the ex-Blaugrana in official statements to the transalpine club.
Mirotic, who at Barça was the highest paid player in Europe, signed for a team that was a continental power decades ago (in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s) and that in recent years has been among the elite of European basketball, semifinalist in the final four against Barça in the 2020-21 season. The arrival of the player from Podgorica further reinforces their aspirations to lift the fourth Euroleague in their history (they won it in 1966, 1987 and 1988).
“When the possibility of bringing Mirotic to Milan arose, Leo Dell’Orco and I decided to do everything possible, within our limits and principles, to make this opportunity a reality. He is a champion of proven skills and a special person. We managed to win him over thanks to the credibility that we built over the years with the enormous work that we all did”, explained Giorgio Armani.
Mirotic will meet again in Milan with coach Ettore Messina, who already had him under his orders between 2009 and 2011 at Real Madrid. “I am also happy to play again for coach Messina, whom I knew when I was a young player. I am sure that we will all enjoy this season and make our fans proud,” added the Montenegrin.
