Luka Dončić is part of an investment group that has acquired Vanoli Cremona, a professional club from northern Italy. The investors plan to relocate the team to Rome, aiming to restore top-level basketball to the Italian capital and position the club as a future participant in the planned NBA-backed European league. Announcing the move on social media, Dončić declared that “basketball is coming back to Rome.”
The 27-year-old said that his dream has been to come back to European basketball, which as he put it – gave him so much. The Slovenian began his professional career with Real Madrid Baloncesto and became the youngest EuroLeague MVP in history before moving to the NBA in 2018.
The investment group is led by Donnie Nelson, who selected Dončić in the 2018 NBA Draft, and also includes veteran Italian coach Valerio Bianchini and former Lithuanian international Rimas Kaukenas. Former Serbian player and coach Aleksandar Đorđević has reportedly emerged as a leading candidate to take charge of the team.
The club could begin competing in Italy’s top-tier championship as early as the 2026–27 season, pending league approval. The ownership group has also submitted an application for the team to become a founding member of NBA Europe, a proposed competition backed by the National Basketball Association. Rome has been identified by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as one of the potential host cities for the new league, which could launch in 2027 and feature franchises from major European markets including Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Athens and Istanbul.
