LIVORNO. What could possibly happen on a Wednesday evening to make up for a humid and rainy May 1st? Simple. For half the city, all it took was a click on the Pielle Facebook page and a post that appeared at 8pm sharp (a time chosen not by chance…).
A video of about 30 seconds with the fundamental steps of the career of Rafael Addison (from the NCAA journey with the Syracuse University shirt to the leap into the NBA, up to the overseas experience), the best player in the history of Piellina, who collected the The club’s invitation to attend game 1 and game 2 of the playoff quarter-finals which will see the Livornese challenge Imola starting tomorrow.
The idea
Everything comes from a desire. And from a promise made publicly by President Francesco Farneti in an interview given to Tyrrhenian last June 24th. To a question from journalist Federico Lazzotti (“When will he bring Addison back to Livorno?”), Pielle’s number one replied: «It’s a dream I’ve been thinking about for a year. I hope I can make it happen one day, because it is our wish and it would be a wonderful gift for all our fans.”
From that moment on, thanks above all to the network of contacts created by the general director Gianluca Petronio, the “Raf” mission officially began: «We wanted to give a gift to our fans – specified president Farneti –, convinced of the fact that without a past the present cannot exist, much less a future. I thank the hundreds of people who in these hours are continuing to send me certificates of thanks and esteem, but behind every good result achieved by Pielle there is great team work. However, I would like to thank Matteo Lanza, who has always been in contact with Addison and who was the first to express our desire to him.”
Joy
A handful of minutes after the announcement, Pielle’s social pages were invaded with comments, memories and happiness. Because Addison, for the people of Piellino, was much more than a player. For many boys and men of that time, now fathers and grandfathers, Addison was an absolute idol. A kind of basketball deity. Many, almost everyone, had his poster hanging in their room, venerated every evening before turning off the light and going to bed. And for all the piellini Addison was not Addison, but “Raf” or the “painter”. Why the painter? Rafael arrived in Livorno on a very hot August afternoon in 1987, the result of an intuition by coach Giancarlo Sacco. The impact with the Italian championship was sensational. It was September 27th, Allibert were playing away in Desio which, not having the pitch approved for the A1, played their home matches at the Pala Lido in Milan. Addison showed up with 34 points. Sitting in the press gallery was a then young Flavio Vanetti from the Gazzetta dello Sport. Playing with his name, he immediately baptized him as the “painter” (Raphael-Raffaello) and in the piece on the rose published the following day he even went so far as to call him “the painter who paints baskets”. From that Monday, in Livorno, Addison was everyone’s “painter”.
The last time
May 2008. Derby of the old glories. Rafael Addison, the moment the speaker announces his name, heads towards the center of the pitch and kisses the PalaMacchia parquet, sending the Curva Sud fans into ecstasy. Since that beautiful afternoon, which brought together many former protagonists of the t ‘gold (from the late Alberto Bucci to the Libertassine flags Fantozzi, Forti and Carera, without forgetting coaches Di Vincenzo, Bonaccorsi, Dell’Agnello and the never forgotten Luca Silvestrin), 15 years have passed. Fifteen years in which Addison, now a basketball player in New Jersey, never disconnected from Italy and “his” Livorno.
RAF Week
Addison will land in Italy in the late afternoon today together with his wife Vanda, welcomed by president Farneti and other members of the club, including the new member Opera Laboratori. Tomorrow morning, from 10am to 12pm, Rafael will be a guest at the Pielle Store open to all fans; the day will continue with an event organized by Pielle, in collaboration with Decathlon Italia, in the outdoor area of the Burger King restaurant (in via Firenze 27) where you can consume a special menu, before moving to PalaMacchia for match 1 against Imola. In the pre-match, the Piellina management will give Addison the shirt for the 2023/2024 season. Tuesday evening the Addison family will be in their usual place for game 2. «We will experience intense days, on and off the pitch – continued Farneti -. All together we will show Rafael that the white-blue fire has never gone out and indeed, he looks to the future with enthusiasm and the desire to grow. And all together, Raf, club and fans, we will be alongside coach Cardani’s boys.”
