Pep Guardiola bought a Boston Celtics hoodie, wore his baseball cap backward, and sat courtside in the TD Garden arena for the NBA Finals opening game.
Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca recalls, “He sat right by me. I talked to him a lot.”
Guardiola compared facing Atalanta to a dental appointment due to their intense playing style. They discussed Italian football stories.
Manchester City’s coach Mazzulla and Guardiola talked about strategy before a Mavericks game. Mazzulla implements football strategies into basketball.
Chelsea sent a video to Lookman before the Africa Cup final. Lookman later watched a Celtics game in Dallas.
Celtics won the NBA championship. Atalanta, another team owned by Pagliuca, also tasted success, winning their first European trophy in 61 years.
Image Caption: Pagliuca, centre, watches on during Game Three of the NBA Finals (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The Percassi family, instrumental in Atalanta’s success, also flew back with them after their victory.
In a series of success stories, Pagliuca emphasizes the importance of sustainability in sports investments.