For Valentina Vignali, there are two things she has been passionate about for as long as she can remember: hoops and fashion. Born and raised in Rimini, Italy, Valentina recalls embarking on a journey playing basketball at eight years old and immediately falling in love with the sport. She was all in. Despite being a two-sport athlete until the age of 12—playing basketball and dancing ballet—, there was something uniquely intriguing about basketball that drew her full commitment towards the sport. She was skilled on the court, she was competitive by nature, and most importantly, she was a student of the game. This was only the beginning. When she was 14 years old, Valentina was scouted by Basket Cervia and offered the opportunity to play for their team. Just two years later, she would go on to make her debut with an A-League team and officially unlock her professional playing career. It wasn't all smooth sailing though. At age 21, Valentina was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. A diagnosis that filled her world with uncertainty about what the future held and where she should turn to next. She didn't let that stop her though. Instead, she turned to basketball for clarity and comfort. It was her safe haven. An outlet that—during one of the toughest moments in her life—reminded her of her inner strength and brought her peace in the midst of chaos. After surgery and treatment, Valentina worked day in and day out to return to the court and play the sport again at the highest level. She was on a mission.
Sure enough, she did just that. After a few years playing in the B-League and C-League—between the second and third divisions—, Valentina made her return to the A-League. She had done it. She had embraced that setback and transformed it to a major comeback. It was only up from there. From playing with different Club teams to participating in basketball tournaments across Europe to even pursuing her interests beyond the game in fashion and modeling, Valentina has grown her personal brand tremendously since. Committed to giving back, Valentina is eager to continue using her voice and platform to encourage others to dream big, be fearless in the pursuit of their goals, and remember that there is no limit to what one can achieve.
Take us all the way back! How did you get your start with the game of basketball?
I started playing basketball when I was eight. At the beginning, I was a ballerina like all the baby girls, but I was really tall. I was 1.74m at the age of nine, and that height is not good for dancing. So I remember I started to play basketball when I was eight and for like four or five years I did both. I had this big bag with all the basketball stuff inside and another bag for the ballerina stuff (*laughs*). At this point (though), I was like 12 years old. We had an end-of-the-year (recital) in May with all the parents and siblings and I remember watching a video of myself—because my dad and my mom usually filmed a video—and saying: “No, I don't want to do this anymore. I want to play basketball.” I didn't like myself in that video. For my body also, doing the ballerina moves were so hard (for) me instead of basketball. Basketball was easy because of my body. My body wasn't made for dancing, it was made for basketball. So I realized that when I was like 12 years old.
From that point on, when did you discover that you were all in with the game of basketball and wanted to play the sport at the highest level?