Reaching the pinnacle and then quitting after being a basketball champion: this is the recipe for not letting go…
Gianluca Basile, former national team basketball player, spoke live to TvPlay’s microphones to talk about how he got to the top of his life after being a basketball star.
“Since I embarked on my basketball career, I had already set my mind on what I wanted to do next. I am a machine, I have to constantly set new goals for myself,” Basile said. “My goal has always been to enjoy life, but not like those who get up at noon, do nothing all day and go back to bed.”
Basile says he is lucky, as he works while cultivating his hobbies and enjoys life doing the things he enjoys most. “I started late, I didn’t go through the junior nationals like most of my peers did. From the age of fifteen to eighteen I didn’t want to go to school, and my father, having the land, took me with him to work. “
“I’ve always had a passion for the countryside,” the interviewee continued. “Setting goals for me is fundamental, now I dedicate myself to that, but also to fishing or going mushrooming.”
“My wife also has an association that helps stray dogs and then seeks their adoption. Mine is a busy life and I fill my days in this way; it is very fulfilling for me. You don’t notice fatigue when you do things you enjoy.”
“Padel is a lifeline to stay connected to the sport. When you stop playing and you’re used to certain rhythms, it’s a disaster. Going for a jog or going to the gym I’ve been doing it for 20 years, and honestly now it takes a toll on me. “
Life after basketball: “That’s what I did when I quit “
“When I was a kid, I played tennis, and as a result, padel has become a sport that I enjoy and that allows me to stay fit and not gain weight, also because even as I get older, I still eat a lot. “
(Basile (LaPresse)
“I was up to 110 kg, while now I’m back on 100 which is my fitness weight, what I had even in the last year of my career. In addition, padel allows me to keep alive that spirit of competition that has always been part of my life,” added the former basketball star.
“Being a player is different from being a coach. I never had boundless talent, I had physical and technical potential, but I was not a pure diamond. I was very attached to work, if I didn’t work in a certain way I would never have made it. I was lucky enough to get on the court with players like Navarro who made me realize that he was from another world. To get close to his level I had to slaughter myself mentally and physically, prepare myself as best I could every day” .
Finally, Basile told why he decided to quit: “The physique was not what it used to be because I started having muscle injuries and physical problems in general. I quit late because I was forty-one years old, but if I had still been in A2 I would have continued a little longer … With the transition to A1 it was hard: the physical impact had grown considerably and I felt the impact. Running behind people twenty years younger was not easy, and you realize you’re going two/three gears less than them.”
“I used to watch basketball and study the movements. For example using blocks to get out of a marking I saw Danilovic do, then everything else was worked on between me and myself and with the coaches. I would look at things that interested me, I liked them and I would also try them out to see if they could fit into my technical background because not all movements can be done. “