The world of sports and art, not just in Sassari, is mourning the death of Valerio Mazzanti. He was 89. A basketball icon in Sassari, along with his brother Adriano, who later became coach, Valerio Mazzanti was among the first players in the original Dinamo team, in the early 1960s, when games were still played outdoors.
After retiring from basketball, Valerio Mazzanti turned to painting, putting his studies at the Art Institute of Sassari to good use, where he had three great teachers: Filippo Figari for painting, Stanis Dessy for engraving, and Eugenio Tavolara for sculpture.
Dinamo remembered him with a message on their social media profiles: "Dinamo Banco di Sardegna mourns the passing of Valerio Mazzanti, a key figure in the history of the club. Having joined Dinamo in 1962, along with a group of players who, with him, had been protagonists of Sassari basketball, he contributed to the creation of the new Dinamo: he transformed the team from a group of friends to a competitive team. He was among the architects of promotion to the national second division, setting Dinamo on a path that would take it ever higher. After retiring from basketball, Valerio Mazzanti devoted himself to painting, becoming an artist of high and recognized artistic value. President Stefano Sardara, along with the management and coaching staff, and the Dinamo players, share the grief of Valerio Mazzanti's wife and family."