Guido Gatti

Gifted with excellent elevation and fast running, Guido Carlo Gatti dedicated himself to the high jump in his youth with good results. At the age of 16, however, he was 192 cm tall and began playing basketball in the youth team of Libertas Perugia as a wing, a position he maintained throughout his competitive career. At 18, after being rejected in a trial by Simmenthal Milano in November 1956, Gatti moved to Torino, playing in the 1956-57 Second League championship with the Auxilium team.

At the suggestion of admirer Jim McGregor, Gatti signed for Gira Bologna, débuting in the Top League in the 1957-58 season and became a regular from the following season. From the 1959-60 season he played for, and captained, Pallacanestro Ignis Varese and, in five seasons, won the Championship in 1960-61 and 1963-64 (both times ahead of Simmenthal Milano), and lost the play-off of 1961-62. From the 1964-65 season to 1968-69 Gatti played for All’Onestà Milano. With his spectacular dunks (he was the first Italian player to do them) and his acrobatic plays, he became a firm favourite with the Milanese fans. With Pallacanestro Milano he played 128 games and scored 1982 points, with an average of over 15 points per game.

Internationally, Gatti made his début for the Italian team on 16 March 1960 in Valparaiso (Chile), during a South American tour prior to the Roma Olympics. He played in the 1963 World Championships in Brazil (seventh place) and the 1965 European Championships in Moskva (fourth) and, at 30, he finally managed to take part in the Olympic Games, at Mexico City in 1968. Gatti played 76 matches for the national team, scoring 371 points. After his playing days, Gatti managed the clothing company founded by his father, and they dealt with some very well-known brands like Armani, Versace, and Moschino.