The 18-year-old is ready to make a big impression at the NextGen EuroLeague Finals
Milan big man Luigi Suigo grew up idolizing James Harden
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Ask Luigi Suigo who his inspiration was growing up and you might be surprised with his answer – the U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan big man was a major fan of James Harden. Fast-forward to 2025 and Suigo will be one of the top stars at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals, where Milan is a dark horse title contender.
Suigo has seen a dramatic rise in his game in the past year, helping Milan defend its title in the recent U19 Italian League championship. The 2.20-meter center was named to the All-Tournament Team with a dominant performance, including a triple-double of 13 points, 13 boards and 12 blocks in the semifinals against College Borgomanero.
That gives Suigo and Milan confidence heading to Abu Dhabi for the NextGen Finals.
“The goal is always to play at our best and be in the top two, and I think we need to be aware that we can do it,” Suigo told David Hein of the NextGen EuroLeague's website.
The native of Tradate in the Varese province seems to be making up for lost time this season. In February, he was named the Most Valuable Player as Milan repeated its crown at the U19 Next Gen Cup.
“I think we always had something more than the other teams and also the fact that I improved a lot helped me to do well,” he said.
And then in March, he was a major contributor to Milan reaching the first place game of the NextGen EuroLeague Belgrade, where the Italian side lost 74-60 to U18 Pole France INSEP Paris. Suigo was in foul trouble throughout that game but still managed to finish with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
“I remember that from the beginning we approached the game with fear of not being strong enough, which unfortunately limited us in staying in the game and falling behind by a lot,” said the big man, who averaged 12.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks during the tournament.
“The main thing I think we have understood is don't be afraid of anyone. We know the team we are and our capabilities and whatever team we are against we have to give our best.”
It shouldn’t a surprise any time Suigo flashes a smile when he is on the court. After all, he dealt with a heel problem that did not allow him to play team basketball for five years, from age seven to 12. During that time, he practiced Harden’s famous step-back shot.
“Not being able to play was frustrating honestly because I've always loved basketball and not being able to play it made me sad for a while,” he admitted. And about Harden, he added: “I've always been fascinated by how he was unguardable from every point of view.”
Suigo moved to Varese shortly after playing again and then, in 2022 at age 15, he joined Milan to help improve his game. The improvement was steady and impressive and by early 2024, Milan gave Suigo a special present on January 28 – one day before his 17th birthday – by allowing him to make his Italian League debut. He even scored his first points in 2 minutes against Sassari on a buzzer beater.
“It was a beautiful and unexpected moment that I will always carry with me,” he said.
Suigo’s 2024 included another major highlight, playing for Italy at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 in Türkiye. The team lost its first two games but rallied to make history and reach the final for its first-ever U17 medal.
“We started out a bit tense I remember but after the two defeats we understood that we couldn't continue like this and we cleared our heads all together. From there, the rest is history,” said Suigo, who contributed 7.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in his first tournament for Italy.
Italy could not handle the United States in the first half of the final, trailing 73-36 at halftime. But Italy tied the third quarter and only lost the fourth by four points – against a USA team stacked with future superstars like Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat, Tyran Stokes and so on.
“The most substantial difference was the athletic part and their bodies. But speaking from the technical side, I think that we were also on par with them,” the big man said.
With two Italian youth titles already locked up this season, Suigo and co. are ready for what awaits in Abu Dhabi, where Milan have been placed into Group A along with 2022 continental champion U18 Mega Super Belgrade, U18 Dubai Basketball and 2016 NextGen winner U18 FC Barcelona.
“The main thing I think we have understood is don't be afraid of anyone. We know the team we are and our capabilities and whatever team we are against we have to give our best,” he said.
Suigo now intends to take his next step towards being an inspiration for other young Italians.