Like father, like son: Dino and Andrea Meneghin

Sometimes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In OlyBetTV’s new series, we look at the best father-son duos in basketball.

• The first part was about Arvydas and Domantas Sabonis. Read it HERE.

Dino Meneghin is one of the most successful basketball players in European history. The center, who spent his entire career in Italy, is a 12-time Italian champion and a seven-time EuroLeague champion. He won the EuroBasket with the national team and was named the second Italian inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. The first was Cesare Rubini.

While the Italian league is currently one of the best in Europe but not the top tier, it dominated the continent in the 1970s and 1980s. Over 18 years, Italian clubs won the EuroLeague ten times and lost several finals. The strength of the Italian championship was further demonstrated by the fact that several teams made their mark on the continental scene.

Meneghin debuted in the Italian league in 1966 at 16 and spent most of his career in Varese. In the 1970s, Varese was the strongest team in Europe, playing in ten EuroLeague finals, winning five.

In the 1980s, Varese passed the baton to Cantu, Rome, and Milan clubs. Meneghin played a role in Olimpia Milano’s two consecutive EuroLeague titles in 1987 and 1988, where they defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv in both finals. Even though he was almost 40, Meneghin was still part of the rotation.

Beyond his numerous titles, the most remarkable thing about Meneghin is his incredibly long career, as he hung up his sneakers in 1994 after playing professional basketball for 28 years.

It’s also notable that Meneghin was the first European selected in the NBA draft. Yes, Real Madrid legends Clifford Luyk and Wayne Brabender were drafted before him, but they were Americans who took up Spanish citizenship after coming to Europe.

When Meneghin was picked in 1970, the draft included many more players than today. There were 11 rounds, and in the last one, the Atlanta Hawks decided to roll the dice and select the Italian. However, Meneghin did not go to the NBA because it would have meant giving up playing for the national team since NBA players were only allowed to participate in international tournaments in 1989.

And who knows, perhaps Meneghin would not have gone to the NBA even if playing for Italy had been allowed. After all, he was a king in Europe, played in a highly successful club, and at the time, the Italian league was the richest in Europe, meaning he earned more at home than he would have in North America.

Dino played against his son

In 1974, Meneghin’s wife Caterina gave birth to their son Andrea. Varese was also close to his heart as Andrea spent most of his career in that club, with a brief stint in Fortitudo Bologna.

Interestingly, because Dino’s career lasted so long, the Meneghins even faced each other in Serie A. In November 1990, Dino played for Trieste, while Andrea took his first steps in professional basketball.

Trieste won the match against Varese 93-89. Dino contributed six points and four rebounds, while 16-year-old Andrea went scoreless in seven minutes.

When Olimpia retired Dino’s jersey in 2019, he gave an interview to the Italian publication Corriere della Sera. The journalist asked what he would not do again in his career.

“I have one regret,” Meneghin began responding. “That of not having been closer to my son Andrea. The relationship with him could and should have been different. I thought too much about what I was doing, training, the team, and my career. With more sacrifice, I should have behaved differently.”

Andrea played as a shooting guard or small forward. His trophy cabinet isn’t nearly as full as his father’s, but it does include the title of Europe’s best basketball player in 1999.

That year was by far the most successful in Andrea Meneghin’s career. First, he won the Italian Supercup with Varese and was named MVP. A few months later, he lifted the league trophy and played a crucial role in the national team’s last golden achievement.

Italy entered the 1999 EuroBasket as one of the favorites, having lost only in the final to a star-studded Yugoslavia two years prior. Their goal was clear: to bring Italy its first European Championship gold since 1983.

Several names stand out on that national team roster. Of course, one of them is Dino Meneghin, but others who brought Italy its first major title include former national team coach Romeo Sacchetti, the all-time top scorer of the Serie A Antonello Riva, and Alberto Tonut, the father of current Olimpia and national team player Stefano.

In 1999, Italy was led by three players: Carlton Myers, who was born in England and moved to Italy at the age of nine, Slovenian-born naturalized center Gregor Fučka, and Meneghin. Notably, Myers and Meneghin were the only two players averaging over 30 minutes per game in the European Championship.

The best illustration of Meneghin’s importance for Italy was the final. He made only one of seven field goal attempts but played for 33 minutes—more than Myers, Fučka, or any other Italian. He was kept on the court because he was essential.

And ultimately, it doesn’t matter how an individual performs as long as his team wins the game. Italy defeated Spain 64-56 and returned to the European throne after a 16-year hiatus.

Since Italy has not won a major tournament in the next 25 years, one could conclude that they need a Meneghin to triumph. Dino said in 2019 that a few boys in the family are interested in basketball…