Bologna, 23 February –
Iliana Rupert, fresh winner of a WNBA ring, confided in Konbini, who elected her among the young profiles that are destined to make their mark in this 2023:
“This year I’m in Italy, I want to win championship and cup with Virtus because I’m getting on really well and the group is fantastic. – I plan my career within a really short period of time, two or three years maximum: this philosophy has always allowed me to be super focused on my goals, leading me to a good career despite knowing I am still very young. However, I don’t set myself any limits, but I always aim to take the next step on a ladder of which I don’t want to see the end”. – revealed the transalpine player.
“For me, basketball remains a game, the same game that made me prefer my schoolmates’ parties to games when I was a little girl.”
“My family? At the beginning it was certainly difficult to establish myself and break away from the shadow of my father Thierry or my brother Rayan, but I gritted my teeth and let the court do the talking. A lot changed after the U16 European Championships in Bourges where it was my performances that spoke for me. That doesn’t take anything away from the fact that I am extremely close to my father, so much so that both my brother and I play with the number 12 in his honour so that we continue to see the ‘Rupert 12′ jersey on a basketball court: in our own way we try to pay homage to him and I know that it makes him proud,’ concluded Iliana, revealing herself naked and also showing the human side of being an athlete.
