On Friday 5 April during the half-time of the EuroLeague game between Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna, Olimpia will have the pleasure to celebrate Mason Rocca and his recent inclusion in the club’s Hall of Fame.

Mason Rocca was the symbol of Olimpia for four years, the first four of the Armani era, from 2008 to 2012, in which the team did not win but built the necessary infrastructures to emerge in the future. Rocca played three Italian league finals in four seasons, helped the team qualify for the EuroLeague Top 16 twice and won over the fans with his game made of generosity, aggressiveness, intelligence and courage. Mason Rocca captured 348 offensive rebounds and 792 total rebounds over the course of 164 Italian league games, coming to Milan after fruitful stints in Jesi and Naples, and his college years at Princeton as Bill Bradley had done many years before him.

But beyond the numbers he wore the Olimpia spirit impeccably, following the culture dictated by Sandro Gamba and passed over the years through Arthur Kenney, Vittorio Gallinari, Dino Meneghin up to Kyle Hines. Players capable of giving everything for the jersey, of throwing their hearts beyond the obstacle, very tough defenders who canceled their egos in the interest of the team. For this reason, Rocca has a special role among the greats in Olimpia’s history, he was the first “great” of the Armani era.

Mason Rocca, a native of Chicago, was the Olimpia Captain, won an Italian Cup in Naples in 2006 and played in the 2006 World Cup with Italy, making history for his heroic resistance against Yao Ming, the great star of the Chinese national team and the NBA. He now lives in Chicago and teaches at Beacon Academy in Evanston, Illinois.