Farewell to basketball. Achille Polonara will not return to the game. The forward, signed by Dinamo Sassari, has decided to retire, giving him time to recover from a transplant for acute myeloid leukemia.
"Ilpupazzo33" (his social media handle) announced his intentions in a post on Instagram: "I tried, resuming individual training, but I understand that it's time to say goodbye to playing basketball because I won't be the same player I was before, and I want you to remember me for who I was!! I'll miss you, basketball."
Polonara thanked everyone: "Thank you to the coach, thank you to my teammates, thank you to the medical staff of every team I've been with for making me feel like a good player but above all a man... thank you to those who insulted me on social media and in the arenas, you were my strength!"
Of course, thanks also go to Dinamo, who had him for two seasons. He won the 2019 European Cup at Sassari, and was recalled to Sassari by President Sardara at the most difficult time, after being diagnosed with myeloid leukemia.
The PalaSerradimigni stadium applauded him when he returned . Everyone hoped he'd be able to play again, but it's a legitimate decision for a great player who understands he can never return to the highest level, the one that took him to the national team and the Euroleague.