A talented teenage basketball player has died at just 17 after a courageous battle with an incurable illness.
Anna Mellano passed away overnight after fighting leukaemia diagnosed in 2024, leaving teammates, coaches and family devastated by the sudden loss of a bright young prospect.
She had been a rising star at her local club, earning recognition for her skill, determination and love of the game before the diagnosis ended her playing days.
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Officials praised the teenager for facing her illness with the “same grit she always showed on the court”.
The Italian Basketball Federation announced her death with an emotional farewell.
President Giovanni Petrucci sent deepest condolences to her parents Danilo and Marta and her club, saying she leaves an “irreparable void”.
Born in Turin in 2009, Mellano grew up in Venaria Reale and developed at historic youth side Basket Venaria.
She quickly stood out as one of the most promising players of her generation and reached under-15 and under-16 levels for Italy, as reported by Need To Know.
She starred in the July 2024 Friendship Tournament in Varese, helping the national side to bronze and scoring in the third-place play-off against Greece before illness forced her off the court.
Club president Teo Mitton, who knew her from her earliest days, described her as a perfectionist who was “in love with the ball”.
He said she would stay for hours practising, calling her “an angel” with “immense talent and contagious sweetness”.
Even after treatment, including a bone-marrow transplant from a younger sister, she remained close to her teammates.
Youth national coach Lucchesi continued to call her up with the message “Annina, we are waiting for you” and later said he hoped she would “keep flying”.
Her funeral was held on 21 October at the Church of Santa Maria in Venaria Reale, where a large crowd, including Basket Venaria teammates, carried the banner “Ciao Anna. Always in our hearts”.
The family has launched a fundraising appeal for Medici con l’Africa Cuamm to provide medical training scholarships in countries such as Mozambique, honouring Anna’s own dream of studying medicine while she excelled at school and basketball.
Tributes continue across Italian basketball, with the federation ordering a minute’s silence at all matches this weekend as the sport mourns a talent whose courage left an enduring mark.
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