Donte DiVincenzo desires to represent Italy in the Paris Olympics, navigating logistical challenges, paperwork hurdles for Italian citizenship, and potential conflicts with the Knicks' playoff schedule.
New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo expressed his willingness to represent Italy in the upcoming Paris Olympics, but he acknowledged potential hurdles in his eligibility.
"Ideally, I would love to," DiVincenzo told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. "Logistically and how everything plays out, I don't know if it's possible. But if everything works out perfectly, I would love to."
Born in the U.S. with Italian family heritage, DiVincenzo is currently in the process of securing the necessary paperwork for Italian citizenship, and he remains hopeful that "it's almost done."
However, he also highlighted concerns about the timing of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico, which begins a couple of weeks after the NBA Finals conclude.
A potential deep playoff run for the Knicks could impact his availability for the competition, which is set to start on July 27, with Italy facing Bahrain on July 2 and Puerto Rico on July 4.
"Multiple factors weigh into this," he said.
"There's a few more hoops to jump through," DiVincenzo told The Post. "But it's something I told my family, my agent, that I wanted to do -- to be able to represent a country. And hopefully, I can get all the paperwork done and be out there as soon as possible."
This season, the 27-year-old guard has averaged 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over 54 games.
