Roma Basketball Club SPQR Introduces Itself by Announcing Its Point Guard

The Roma Basketball Club SPQR’s journey begins with Nico Mannion. On Thursday, during an event organized by the Luka Doncic Foundation, it was the Slovenian star of the Los Angeles Lakers himself who unveiled the first piece of the project that will mark the capital’s return to Italy’s top league.

Doncic, a direct investor in the club alongside other figures from U.S. basketball such as Donnie Nelson, publicly confirmed the new club’s first signing, thereby sending a strong signal on the eve of a season that will be crucial from the outset for an organization whose ambition is to join the NBA Europe circuit once it is officially launched.

Mannion, a point guard born in 2001, is coming off two seasons with Olimpia Milano, with whom he won a Scudetto, an Italian Cup, and an Italian Super Cup. Previously, Pace’s son also played for the Golden State Warriors (the NBA franchise that selected him with the 48th pick in the 2020 Draft and had him play in the G League), Virtus Bologna, Baskonia, and Varese.

Mannion has also been part of the national team’s circle for some time: after making his debut at a very young age, in a friendly match played in the Netherlands in July 2018, he has been a regular fixture since 2021 and is currently part of the roster available to Marco Ramondino for the international window, which will culminate in two World Cup qualifiers against Iceland and Lithuania.