Kyle Hines has been chronogically the last player inducted into the Olimpia Hall of Fame. His induction will be celebrated as soon as possible during the course of the next season before the Olimpia home crowd.

Kyle Hines can see it everywhere. He can see everywhere how much he is appreciated. The role of unofficial mentor for all the American players stationed in Europe, and not only them, will one day be erased by Father Time. But this is not that day. This is a day on which Kyle Hines’ presence in the history of European basketball is still alive, felt, celebrated. His college and his high school have retired his jersey number; the EuroLeague has included him among the best 25 players of the first 25 years of its history; he is also a member of the Olimpia Hall of Fame and wherever he goes he receives only affection. Affection that becomes gratitude when he is in Athens, Moscow or Bamberg and Veroli, the places where he paved a legendary career. He has obtained recognition, individual records precisely because he has never sought them. He has always and only thought about winning games. And he has won many of them. “Every now and then,” he says, “I still have to pinch myself and ask myself if all this is true, if it is a dream, how it was possible.” Then he smiles and remembers the first time he was seen by Antonello Riva and signed by him for Veroli: “I’m not surprised that he wanted to sign me, I’m surprised that he wanted me after seeing me play, because I did really bad.”

Kyle, you were a hero in Moscow, you were playing to win the title every year, and abruptly you decided to come to Milan. Can you tell us how it went?

“I spoke with Coach Messina, with Chacho and they explained to me how special this place was, the environment, how much they liked this city. Coach Messina explained to me his vision for the team, what he wanted to do, what he wanted to build. I thought it would be great to be part of this group of players who would change the direction of the club, its culture, who could lay the foundations of what Olimpia Milano should be. For me it was important to help with the construction of something special, from the ground up. Looking back, I think we achieved our goal. Just look at what the club is now, the victories we have achieved, the titles won, the presence of the fans, the caliber of the players who have come and continue to come. I think it all comes back to what we have built”.

Was it hard to leave Moscow?

“It was very hard. It was a place that my family and I considered home, where we lived for seven years. I was the captain of the team, and we had just won the EuroLeague. And then we were in the middle of a pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty about what would happen not only to us but in the world in general. It was a risky choice in some ways: we didn’t know exactly what we would get ourselves into. But the conversations I had with Chacho, with Vlado Micov, with Coach Messina convinced me.”

You were already a legend of European basketball; yet the NBA never gave you a chance.

“When I tried the NBA, things were very different. There was this tendency to think that to play 3 or 4 or 5 you had to have at least a certain height. In this sense, I was an untraditional player, I played power forward or center, but I had the height of a point guard maybe. I think this scared some people in the NBA. When I went to the “predraft combine”, which is the most important event before the draft, I played a position I had never played before. I am surprised that Antonello Riva (who was the general manager in Veroli) did not leave immediately because I had really been a disaster. But fortunately there were people like him who saw something in me, who understood my qualities and decided that I could continue to play for them”.

How important was it to start from the bottom, from a club where you could gradually grow like Veroli? For example, Keith Langford says that his career was possible because, having come to Europe, he was able to start in Cremona.

“Veroli was the key to my career, the reason for my growth as a player. I don’t think I would be here now or that I would have had the success I had if it hadn’t been for Veroli. I was lucky because in Veroli I found a group of veterans and was coached by the man who is now considered one of the best coaches in Europe, Andrea Trinchieri, at the beginning of his career. I had players as teammates who had been in the national team, who had played in the main division, who taught me how to be a professional, what it took to be successful at this level. And I was also lucky to play in a small town, where there wasn’t a lot to do, so my days were spent in the gym, trying to be better, taking a few extra shots. All of those factors combined really taught me what it took to be successful in Europe.”

Are you aware of this role as a mentor for many players around Europe?

“I understood it better after I retired. When you are playing you are focused on the games, your competitive spirit prevails, but after retiring I talked to a lot with players who are here in Europe, people from the NBA, but also agents, fans and I heard many of them say that they considered me an example, for the path I took, for the things I was able to do. It was a beautiful feeling, it is special to hear certain things said. I would never have imagined that someone, looking at my career, would think that it was a goal to emulate it. Even in Abu Dhabi, at the last Final Four, after Fenerbahce’s win, some of their Americans came to tell me that they would go after my record, to win more trophies. Being an example, a reason to pursue better careers, is humbling.”

I have never tried to please people, it’s not a position I’ve tried to assert, I’ve always been a person who treated other people the way I wanted them to treat me. I’ve always tried to respect everyone, to be kind to people, to listen to them and talk to them.

Kyle Hines

Everyone likes you, even your opponents, you have everyone’s respect. What does that mean?

“I have never tried to please people, it’s not a position I’ve tried to assert, I’ve always been a person who treated other people the way I wanted them to treat me. I’ve always tried to respect everyone, to be kind to people, to listen to them and talk to them. I’ve always respected my opponents. For me, this reputation as a respected, admired player is humbling. Since I retired, I’ve spoken to so many people, referees, people I didn’t know or didn’t know me, people who expressed their admiration, who confessed to having followed me, to knowing my path. I consider all of this an honor, which still amazes me today. Hearing certain things said is amazing.”

You once said that basketball took you to places you never thought you would reach. Not to the NBA, but maybe to be able to walk in Red Square or in front of the Parthenon, the Colosseum whenever you wanted to go there.

“I believe that everyone has their own path to take, and it is not always the one you would have expected. Personally, I am grateful for what has been reserved for me, the things I have seen, the teams I have been part of. Being here today, thinking about the teammates I have had, the people I have met all over the world, the memories I have built, the places I have visited and never thought I would see thanks to basketball, I am enormously grateful for all of this. I have no regrets; I would not change anything of what I have experienced because everything happens for a reason and even today, I am able to live exceptional experiences thanks to the path that was chosen for me.”

You came to Milan in 2020 and immediately extended your streak of participations to the Final Four. Olimpia hadn’t played in them since 1992. When did you realize you were part of a special team?

“During the first week of preparation. We had players who had already won, but above all we were all at Olimpia Milano for a reason. We were all focused on achieving a single goal and this always makes things easier. Looking around, I saw Malcolm Delaney and Sergio Rodriguez, Gigi Datome and Vlado Micov. We were all there to win titles and bring Olimpia back to where it hadn’t been for a long time. When I realized what we had in that first week, I knew we would be successful. Then you never know what it means to be successful, but I knew we would be successful as a group”.

Olimpia won the Final Four by beating Bayern in five games. And everyone remembers your iconic block on Wade Baldwin.

“Everything happens for a reason, like I said. I think in that Game 5 we were up by 10-12 points with less than a minute to go. We thought we had won the game, but with Bayern Munich every game was coming down to the last possession and at some point, it snowballed. But coming out of that timeout, up by point, I knew I had to make a play even if I didn’t know which one. A rebound, a block or a steal. We had worked hard all year to get to that point. I knew that Wade Baldwin would take the last shot, because I know who he is, his personality, his talent. I tried to read and understand where he wanted to go with his drive. Thank God, I didn’t foul, and I was able to get my hands on the ball and win the ensuing jump ball.”

After the Final Four, there was the unexpected 0-4 defeat to Bologna in the Italian league championship series.

“After that season, losing the championship series 4-0 was unfair. Deep down we knew we were the better team, but we couldn’t play together, we couldn’t find a way to win the games regardless of the circumstances. But that unpleasant experience taught us a lesson, to the whole team, maybe to the whole club. You always have to keep playing, to know what you need to do to win a title, especially against a competitive team like Bologna. Some of us were playing in the final for the first time and maybe, maybe, we took the win for granted. But what I personally learned is that winning is not a given and to win you have to – every single day, every single game – do what got you to that position. That painful defeat made us a better team, a group of better people and maybe is reason why we won three championships in a row”.

You played with Chacho Rodriguez for two years in Milan too. Talk about your connection with him.

“There is a special bond between me and Chacho that has been there since day one, even when he was at Real Madrid and I was on other teams. There was that indescribable feeling that united us and made us think that it would be nice to play together. When this opportunity arose, at CSKA, we took advantage of it immediately. It is easier to play with him. Then over time we developed this relationship off the court. Our families do the same things; our children are the same age. And as incredible as he is as a player, everyone knows that, off the court, he is even better. He was one of the reasons I came here. I wanted to rebuild that bond, given the success and how much fun we had together in Russia. It is a special connection, a special friendship, he is my friend and will be one for the rest of my life.”

Chacho was one of the reasons I came here. I wanted to rebuild that bond, given the success and how much fun we had together in Russia. It is a special connection, a special friendship, he is my friend and will be one for the rest of my life

Kyle Hines

Many think that the season after the Final Four, 2021/22, Olimpia was even better. Punter and LeDay Micov were no longer there, but Melli, Grant, and for a while Mitoglou were.

“We were almost always at the top of the standings, especially at the beginning. We had everything we needed to win. We went a couple of injuries and a couple of possessions away from returning to the Final Four. We were eliminated by the team that eventually won back-to-back. In that series with Efes we played well, but we were not lucky enough to win. In basketball these things happen, but for sure – if I look back – that team, its roster, from top to bottom, was probably the most talented team we have had here, and it had everything to reach the Final Four again. Then it could have happened”.

Then Olimpia won two Italian league championships. The second was the third-star one, a final won in seven games against Bologna.

“A seven-game series is like playing a new season from scratch, especially because Bologna is a team we were used to playing against many times during the season. And when you get to the seventh game you have bruises, are battered everywhere, and you just want to get to the finish line. Luckily, at that point we had the experience of knowing how to close a series. Probably the 0-4 made us understand how to take a seven-game series, recognizing that every game is important and must be fought. Years have passed and I still have the feeling of having just recovered from such a tough series.”

Ultimately, have the years in Milan been positive?

“Especially if you look at where we were when we started this project and where we are now as a team, as a club, at the way Olimpia and Milan are perceived throughout Europe, at how a club with this history is able to continue to win, to convince important players to come here. If you talk to players around Europe, many of them want to come here. All of this is exactly what we wanted to do, to build the foundations of a long project. The wins were the by-product of what we wanted to do, of what Coach Messina wanted, what Chacho wanted, what Gigi and I wanted. Helping a historic, special club to continue to win in the future. I am grateful to have been one of the players who wore this jersey, the jersey of one of the most historical names on the continent. Being part of a list of players who have had an impact here means the world to me”.

Despite your age and long career, you have not missed a single EuroLeague game due to injury during your stay in Milan. Are you an Ironman? Or can you play well beyond the pain threshold?

“I am a bit of an Ironman and a bit I’m capable to play hurt. Jokes aside, I have been lucky because I have never had serious injuries that prevented me from playing. But I have to thank the physio staff, who have always helped me reach the necessary condition to play every day. It was the result of a great collective job, of everyone’s commitment, but not only with me but with the other Olimpia players too.”

Your high school retired your jersey, as your university did, here you are in the Hall of Fame, you are among the 25 best players over the first EuroLeague 25 years. What do these awards mean to you personally?

“I’m still living a dream, sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming. Sometimes it doesn’t seem real. I’ve never pursued individual goals, I’ve never looked for awards or records, for me it’s always been about what I could do to win games, win championships, trophies and recognizing what the team needed to win. I’m grateful to be recognized for what I’ve done, especially when I reached the end of my career, but as I said, at certain times I’m still ask myself if all of this is really true.”