Marco Bonamico

Marco Bonamico was a legend of Italian basketball who came to the sport almost by accident. He started his career as a power forward with Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna in the 1975/76 season. The following season he moved to rivals Fortitudo Bologna for one season, before returning to Virtus Bologna. Between 1978 and 1992 he played for several clubs including Antonini Siena, Billy Milano, Virtus (again), Napoli, and Forli, before finishing his career with Udine in Serie A2.

Bonamico played in the Italian Top League for 15 seasons, winning two Italian titles and two Italian Cups with Virtus Bologna. He played 151 games for the national team, scoring 777 points and winning the 1983 European Championship and a silver medal at the 1980 Moskva (Moscow) Olympics, both under coach Sandro Gamba. Bonamico´s strengths were his penetration under the basket and three-point shots.

After his years as a player, Bonamico remained within the sport and became president of GIBA (Giocatori Italiani Basket Associati) and UBE (Union des Basketteurs Européens). He was also a gym owner and technical commentator for RAI, the Italian public television network, and commentated on the 2004 Athens Olympic final. In recent years, Bonamico worked as a tour guide in Bologna for American tourists before being struck down by Covid in 2021. Following that experience, he devoted himself to studying and implementing a rehabilitation program for those who, like him, had recovered from the disease. Bonamico died in Bologna at only 68-years-of-age after a brief liver disease.