By Cesare Milanti / [email protected]
Bologna, Italy – Before Ife Lundberg was approached by CSKA Moscow at the start of 2021, he was one of the purest goalscorers in the VTB League along with Zielona Gora. Despite some doubts about his membership at the EuroLeague level, he went on to become one of Dimitris Itoudis’ most important players, eventually convincing the Phoenix Suns to give him an NBA opportunity.
Now the Danish superstar is back in Europe to start a new chapter with Virtus Bologna, where he will reunite with two old friends in the locker room: Toko Shengelia and Daniel Hackett. “It really helps to come into a new environment where you have similar faces that can show you what to expect just from a team, city, fans and club environment, other than perspective. This helped a lot. When they saw that I was in talks with the club they contacted me to ask if it was true. Also, if it were to happen, what should I expect just living here? So far it’s been really nice”he said in an exclusive interview with Eurohoops.
Both in the Euroleague and in the Italian championship, he will find another representative of the Danish national team like Shavon Shields, with whom he has only once shared the pitch as teammates.
“If Shavon and I were to play together for the Danish national team, I think it would be very scary. We only played one game together and it was really fun to play. I think our potential was on. a display case “he said of the 94-98 win over Belarus, in which Shields and Lundberg combined for 53 points.
“Obviously he’s a good player and I think I’m pretty good too, so it would be very good to try to have that opportunity for longer. But playing in the EuroLeague makes it difficult, because of the schedule with the national team windows and all that. But if that were to happen, that would be great.”he added.
Just like when he arrived at CSKA Moscow, he will find a good dose of competition in his position with combo-guards like Daniel Hackett, Milos Teodosic and Nico Mannion, other than specialists like Marco Belinelli and Alessandro Pajola. But he does not seem to fear the competition: “You always want to be in a situation where there is healthy competition. Because you are never too settled, comfortable or satisfied and you always have to work hard to get what is yours. I love him and if it can make me an even better player, I will accept him.”.
Of course, Sergio Scariolo will need a lot of fit to face all competitions in a long and intense season. The head coach of the Spanish national team was one of the reasons why Gabriel Ifffe Lundberg decided to sign with Virtus. He appreciates his basketball philosophy and style, so he enjoyed watching Spain go all the way to EuroBasket gold. “As a basketball fan first and foremost, I’ve watched Spain play for the last few years, and of course they’ve been there for a while. Especially with the team they have this year when they didn’t have no main star player, it was more team oriented and so you saw how each player took on their role.he said.
Lundberg, like Kyle Weems and Toko Shengelia, had only good words for his new team: “They just fought for the team, and I think this particular team this year will be quite similar: we have a lot of talented players in this team and at the end of the day everyone has to sacrifice something for the benefit of the team and for the greater good I think the sky is the limit for us to be honest and we just have to take it day by day because we are a new group the coach is not It’s only been there for a few days and it looks pretty good..
Finally, the Danish superstar spoke about his NBA experience with the Phoenix Suns. He’s only entered the court four times, averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 assists per game, but his eyes still shine when he talks about it. “It was very good, it was great. For me to come from Denmark and be the first to do it is something I’m really proud of: it’s probably the biggest achievement of my career so far.he said, while keeping the door open for the future.
“If I have the opportunity to do it again at some point in the future, will I do it? I have no idea. We have to see what situation I find myself in. But of course it’s something I will consider because I always consider all my options.he added.
