The basketball player visits Bologna to present his autobiography, in which he shares the story of his journey, his passions, and the moments that have shaped the person he is today.
Date: 07 MAY 2025 from 19:30 to 21:00
Event location: Aula V, Via Zamboni 38
Type: Meetings with the writers
Basketball—like many other sports—works this way. You fall, you suffer terribly, you curse the world, and everything looks dark. The next day you wake up and you feel broken. You pick up the pieces, get ready, and go back to the gym. You show up and start building again from where you left off.
Pippo Ricci returns to Bologna and chooses our University to present his autobiography, where he shares his journey, his passions, and the moments that have made him the man he is today.
At thirteen, now one of Italian basketball’s most beloved figures, he was still just a boy who didn’t feel like he was enough, desperately searching for a way to become someone. Clumsy and overweight, weighing 121 kilos, he was an easy target. His self-esteem plummeted, unlike the number on the scale. The only place where Pippo felt truly himself was the gym. On the basketball court, he stood out—he was a “rough diamond” who would learn to shine. But champions aren’t born, and Pippo knew it. In a world where everyone is Batman, he felt more like Robin—the loyal sidekick, always in service of a greater good. His path was never easy.
After joining Stella Azzurra and gaining his first professional experiences, basketball became his top priority. “Trust the process” became his mantra: believe in what you do, keep going. If you fail, go back to the gym and start over.
Rewinding the tape of his life, Pippo recounts in this autobiography his compelling journey to Olimpia Milano, with stops at prestigious clubs, championship titles, World Cups, and the Olympics. His story is filled with thrilling victories and dark days. Each step is marked by deep friendships and hard-won goals, but also by tough times, self-doubt, and an obsessive pursuit of perfection. This is both a human and sporting adventure, one that extends beyond the court and took him as far as Tanzania, where he founded Amani Education ODV, and where he discovered an unexpected need—for forgiveness, both of others and of himself.
Robin takes off his mask, revealing the touching story of personal growth that shaped the champion he is today.
At 19:00 (just before the event), Giampaolo Ricci will be signing copies of his book at Libreria Coop Ambasciatori (Via degli Orefici).
Giampaolo “Pippo” Ricci (Rome, 1991) is an Italian basketball player. He plays as a forward for Olimpia Milano—of which he is co-captain alongside Shavon Shields—and for the Italian national basketball team. He has won four consecutive league titles, one Italian Super Cup, and two Italian Cups. He holds a degree in mathematics and is the founder of the volunteer organisation Amani Education ODV, which works to provide quality education to girls and boys in Tanzania.