Overview

• Belinelli confirmed his retirement at 39 in an Instagram post that reflected on 23 years of professional basketball and included the message “Ai più giovani, lascio un sogno.”
• He closed his playing days by helping Virtus Bologna secure a third Italian league title in the summer of 2025, completing the circle from his 2002 debut in the same city.
• Belinelli remains the first and only Italian to win an NBA championship after capturing a ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and winning that year’s All-Star three-point contest.
• His career spanned an NBA tenure from 2007 to 2020 across nine teams and a return to Italy in 2020, punctuated by domestic trophies and international acclaim.
• Clubs, former teammates and outlets from San Giovanni in Persiceto to San Antonio paid tribute to his trailblazing impact on Italian and global basketball.