One of the protagonists of the first European Cup for the red and whites in 1966 has died at the age of 87: his 40-point game against Real Madrid was memorable
Gabriele “Nane” Vianello, a legend of Italian basketball, especially of Olimpia and Reyer, has died at the age of 87. Born in Venice in 1938, Vianello attended all the youth teams in Laguna before moving to Motomorini Bologna, with another great champion of the time: Paolo Vittori. When the team went bankrupt in 1959, he moved to Varese, where in two seasons he won a championship. He then wanted to move to Olimpia Milano, but Ignis was not willing to sell him to their rivals. Vianello took a year off: at the time it was enough to become free again. So for the 1962/63 season he was able to join Gianfranco Pieri, Sandro Riminucci and his great friend Vittori.
Vianello was one of the protagonists of the myth of the great Simmenthal: in five years in Milan he won four championships and the first European Cup, in 1966. The match against Real Madrid which was worth the Final Four is one that no one will forget. After the defeat in Spain, on 17 March 1966 Milan had to win the return leg by 6 points to qualify. After a difficult first half, Vianello dragged Olimpia to a final 93-76 with 40 points: 15 of 26 from the field, 10 of 12 from the foul line. Hero of the Palalido people, he was also decisive in the final against Slavia Prague, with 21 points. Exceptional shooter, left-handed and modern, with basketball in his blood: in 1966 he was the best Italian scorer in Serie A with 21 points on average (67 the record in a single game). He is still sixth in Olimpia history with an average of 17.8. He returned home in 1967, where he played the last five years of his career at Reyer Venezia before retiring in 1972. Vianello wore the national team shirt in 127 games, scoring 1,090 points. He played in three Olympics, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968, as well as two World Cups and three European Championships. He was also silver at the Mediterranean Games in Tunis in 1967.
