Olimpia Milano insists on former Cantù, Sassari and Brindisi player
Less than 48 hours before the matchup between Germani Brescia and Nutribullet Treviso (7 p.m. 2 p.m. Sunday), the Tribune is back to talk about Olimpia’s very strong interest in Jason Burnell. “He is the needle of the Germani’s scales,” it reads. “From a very valuable sixth man as well as the object of Milan’s desire in the market, the former Cantù, Sassari and Brindisi player is a wild card for all occasions. Skilled at attacking the iron, improved at the perimeter shot that was once his Achilles heel, a defender capable of switching on all roles, Burnell is the impossible variable to calculate. Even Treviso noticed it, which in the first leg was caught up just seconds before the gong by a triple in transition by the American that earned the overtime.”
For the rest, Burnell’s path in Italy alone tells of his steady growth. Arriving in the Italian league in 2019 with Cantù, where he made his Serie A debut with over 11 points and a 5-rebound average, the Jacksonville State product then showed off in Sassari – where he also played in the Basketball Champions League – and later in Brindisi, before landing in Brescia in 2023. With Germani he reached the Scudetto final in the 2024-25 season, lost to Virtus Bologna, and won the title of sixth man of the year in Serie A.
Last summer, despite the market sirens already present at the time, Burnell chose to renew with Pallacanestro Brescia for one more season. The player himself had explained the reasons for that decision with words full of sentiment: “In Brescia I am very well and it is also for this reason that I chose to sign again for Pallacanestro Brescia. I love Brescia, it has made me grow both as a man and as a player. The club has been close to me in a difficult time of life for my family. I will never forget it.” A bond, then, that goes far beyond a simple professional relationship, and that makes the market situation around his figure even more intricate.
Performances this season have further raised his profile. Burnell has already shown his qualities even in the big matches: in the home loss against Virtus Bologna last February, which cost Germani the top spot in the standings, he was among the few to save himself by finishing with 14 points. The same score in the Italian Supercup final in September, lost to Olimpia Milano at the Assago Forum 90-76: a game that, with a certain irony, saw precisely the meneghini “biancorossi” – now its suitors – get the better of its Brescia.
It is precisely Olimpia’s interest that represents the most delicate knot in the affair. Milan, which had already monitored the player in the past, now seems to be serious. For Burnell, who has stated how the Euroleague represents his big dream, a landing in a team that permanently plays in the top European club competition could be a temptation difficult to ignore, despite his strong attachment to the biancoblù jersey. Sunday’s game against Treviso, therefore, will also be an important showcase: his every play will be observed with different eyes, on and off the court.
