Michele Antonutti has a new perspective Between basketball, identity and fashion
Retracing his journey through the world of basketball together with Michele Antonutti, the conversation often shifts toward identity, belonging, and connection rather than just achievements. Those are certainly there—his path has taken him to major stages across Italy and Europe, often as a protagonist. He wore the Italian National Team jersey for many years, captaining the Under-20 side before joining the senior squad: over ninety appearances in Azzurro, "the dream of any athlete." At club level, he sits atop Udine’s all-time rankings for appearances and points, boasts the only retired jersey in Friulian basketball history, and, as captain in Reggio Emilia, lifted a EuroChallenge trophy. Yet what might be considered secondary by many has always been central for Antonutti: his roots, his identity, and the bond with his hometown of Udine and its people.
There have been many jerseys along the way. The Azzurro of the National Team remains his favorite—also from an aesthetic point of view. "That Champion Italy jersey was beautiful"—hard to disagree. Beyond Udine and Reggio Emilia, he also wore the colors of Montegranaro, Caserta, Pistoia, Treviso, and Biella. Until his retirement in 2023, when new chapters began, in entirely different roles. Institutional ones, as President of the Technical Commission of CONI Friuli Venezia Giulia; as an ambassador for APU Udine and Turismo Friuli Venezia Giulia; as a testimonial for the Turin-based fashion house Pignatelli, with which he attended the inauguration of its new Milan headquarters last week; as founder of the All Star Basket Academy, a camp for young talents from Friuli; and, not least, as a torchbearer, when the Olympic Flame for Milano Cortina 2026 passed through Udine.
Perhaps it is precisely because he has always been all these things—beyond just a basketball player—that fans have loved him so deeply. That affection was evident in January, when he carried the Olympic Torch along Viale della Vittoria, welcomed by banners and chants from his fan club. An intimate snapshot of a story made compelling by exactly this. "Having one of the largest fan clubs in Italy, with 200 members, is something beautiful for me: a source of great pride, proof of the values I’ve managed to convey."
Jerseys and memories
The most indelible page of his journey is the very first. "My debut game in Udine with Snaidero, when I was 16. I remember Sasha Vujačić was among my teammates—he would go on to join the Los Angeles Lakers the following year. An unforgettable day: debuting in Serie A at that age, in my hometown, was truly special." And far from guaranteed: "I often hear players with great careers say they regret never playing in their hometown. I had the fortune and honor to debut in Udine, play there for many years, and even finish my career there." It was in Emilia, however, that Antonutti experienced his best season, "without a doubt." "For a large part of the season in Reggio, I was the best shooter in Europe—in home games I shot 75% from three. And we won a European trophy, something that hadn’t happened for an Italian club in ten years."
Among the most vivid flashes, "there are the two games where I scored 26 points—my career high in Serie A. They were celebrated in a special way because not many Italians before me had reached that number in a single game." An elite group that also includes some of the greatest teammates he shared the court with: Andrea Bargnani, Marco Belinelli, and Danilo Gallinari. The Italian basketball trinity of the past decade, and for Antonutti, fellow companions in Azzurro, sharing long summer tours together. "I have great memories of national team tours, like the pre-Olympic one in China, where we also experienced a lot of the local culture. And in general, all the summers spent with the national team—for the relationships and friendships that were built." Including the fans: "In the league, you travel to arenas and get booed by opposing fans, but the national team unites everyone—it’s an emotion you have to experience."
"I’ve played against many great champions," he says. In Azzurro, for example, he faced Yao Ming and several other NBA stars—"but the ones who impressed me the most were definitely Dejan Bodiroga and Carlton Myers." And his favorite jersey ever worn, after the national team one? "I’d say Udine’s, first Nike and then Jordan. It’s also the only team in the Italian league with the Jordan logo on the jersey: something that excites me and makes me proud, proof of the club’s growth and its ability to attract major international brands." And speaking of swooshes: "I’ve always played in Nike shoes, with whom I had a long partnership. For almost my entire career, I wore Kobe Bryant models—they’re my favorites. I’m also a big sneaker collector, I have so many Nike models at home."
Antonutti’s long journey on the court came to an end after his 38th birthday. "At a certain point, in this love, the moment came to say: okay, we’ve reached the end, and it’s right to stop here. It came naturally and it was a beautiful moment, also because I had many things waiting for me beyond the court. In sports and basketball—but not only." And after hanging up his sneakers, the historic retirement of his number 9 jersey. "A very meaningful recognition: not because no one else should wear my number, but because I hope that jersey and that number 9 can be a source of inspiration for young people approaching the sport. An example of how, starting from Udine, from a small city in northeastern Italy, you can reach the most important courts in Europe. I think it can represent motivation and hope for those chasing their dreams. A reminder that says: you can make it!"
The new life of Michele Antonutti
It is for achievements and moments like these—and for how he reached them—that Antonutti, looking back, says he has no regrets, or almost none. "I always gave everything and did my best. I lived my career with discipline, passion, and enthusiasm. The only small regret is never having made it to the Olympics… but I filled that gap by being a torchbearer, carrying the Olympic Flame in my hands." Much like becoming a brand ambassador for APU Udine—and the first Italian basketball player to take on such a role—has enriched an already emotional journey. "Even Forbes recognized me as the first brand ambassador in Italian basketball, and I’m proud to have paved the way for others, like Marco Belinelli with Virtus Bologna. In Europe and the United States it’s been common for a while, every team has a representative, but in Italy it took longer."
As anticipated, aligning with Antonutti’s image is not exclusive to sports brands. Since September 2025, the former player—no stranger to fashion—has entered the orbit of Pignatelli, "a brand that has always dressed sport, that has worked for years with Juventus and other teams, with the Italian National Team, and with many athletes." A synergy that, in his case, also stems from proximity, given the Friulian roots of owner Francesco Gianfala; "but above all for what I represent as a sportsman-model, with a long career in an evolving sport like basketball: I believe that’s why I was chosen as a testimonial. From my side, I was struck by the natural way Pignatelli blends elegance and sportiness—a combination that fascinates me."
Last Thursday, Antonutti—alongside Carlo Pignatelli and Francesco Gianfala, as well as several VIPs including Simona Ventura, Luciano Moggi, Stefano Tacconi, and Natasha Stefanenko—was present at Via Fusetti 8 in Milan’s Navigli district for the brand’s new headquarters opening. On the runway, the new womenswear Atelier line, designed by creative director Luc Amsler, was unveiled to the Italian public in what Antonutti describes as "a high-impact event in the heart of Milan, opening Pignatelli’s 2026 season and cementing its place among the elite of Italian fashion." With an ambitious outlook, as confirmed by Gianfala, who spoke about international investments, including new flagship stores and expansion into the Middle East and Far East.
A deep connection
If there is a thread connecting all of Antonutti’s post-retirement roles, it is the same one that ran throughout his playing career: his relationship with his territory. Now in a broader dimension of representation and connection, starting from Udine. There is his role as ambassador for APU, but more: "embodying values, building institutional relationships, and everything that concerns club life beyond the court—similar to what I do outside basketball as an ambassador for Turismo Friuli Venezia Giulia." A region where sport is deeply rooted—boasting the highest ratio of practitioners to population in Italy—and where Antonutti serves as President of the CONI Technical Commission. "Here, sport is a driving force, a defining trait. I work on creating synergies between different stakeholders and disciplines, listening to needs, overseeing training pathways and guidelines for coaches, organizing events and conferences: a wide-ranging role."
Finally, there is his most personal project, the one that best reflects what sport means to him today. The All Star Basket Academy was founded in 2018 and has since become more than just a summer camp. "It’s a project to let young people experience basketball and sport in a 360-degree way: tournaments, sharing, inclusion—with a program also for people with disabilities—and connection with the natural environment." An approach that combines talent development with broader values such as sustainability and environmental awareness.
The Academy has contributed over the years, "to the growth of female players who have gone on to important experiences abroad, and boys who have even worn the national team jersey. (...) We involve around 400 young people every summer, we received the Best Camp Award in 2023, and we have major partnerships, like with Nike." But beyond results, numbers, and sponsors, another point stands out: "perhaps the most important thing is that anyone who spends this week with us goes home with a beautiful memory." The perspective may have changed, but not the way Michele Antonutti moves within the world of sport. Today he is no longer on the court, but he represents, connects, and unites. And above all, he remains deeply tied to that bond—with Udine, with Friuli Venezia Giulia, and with the world of basketball—that has never been secondary, but the most meaningful part of his story.
