“Marco Belinelli, he used to light me up, bro.” This is what Jaylen Brown said about former San Antonio Spurs guard Marco Belinelli. The Celtics star, who’s gone up against some of the best the league’s had to offer, named the Italian the toughest one to guard against. But what made Belinelli so hard to defend? Well, it was his insane off-the-ball movement that made it almost impossible to predict his next move. While it’s impressive, his movement wasn’t the only skill Belinelli excelled at; his three-point shooting was also second to none.

Well, you don’t have to take our word for it. Back in 2014, the former Spurs guard did something many can only dream of. During that year’s All-Star weekend, which was being held in New Orleans, Marco Belinelli was up against arguably the greatest three-point shooter in the history of the NBA, Stephen Curry, in the three-point shooting contest. As if that wasn’t enough, the rest of the lineup featured some more sharpshooters such as Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, and Bradley Beal.

Despite so much star power being up against him, Marco defied all odds to win the three-point shooting contest. It all started with Belinelli making each of his final three shots to finish with 19 points, edging Damian Lillard by one to advance to the finals from the West, as Curry and Love both finished with 16 points. On the other hand, Bradley Beal steamrolled through competition from the East, marching to the finals with 21 points. Then, it was a showdown between Beal and Belinelli, in which the former Spurs stars came in clutch.

The Italian out of nowhere went into beast mode, making six straight buckets at one point, sweeping his fourth rack. “I was a little bit nervous at the beginning, and I think that I shot like two airballs,” He told ESPN. “But in the end, I was focused. I really cared about this trophy.” Marco stunned everyone by winning the contest, defeating the likes of Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard in the process. There’s no doubt that this will be something he’ll never forgive, especially since now his playing days are behind him.

Marco Belinelli reflects on his career after announcing his retirement

Former Golden State Warriors lottery pick Marco Belinelli announced his retirement from basketball on Monday. It’s just time. Belinelli, who’s fresh off winning the Scudetto as a captain with his team, Virtus Bologna, first shared an Instagram post hinting at the news, then made it official on social media. “I gave it my heart. Every piece of me. Every single day. Basketball gave me everything… and I gave it everything I had. Saying goodbye isn’t easy. But it’s time.” He wrote.

“I carry with me every emotion, every sacrifice, every cheer. Thank you to those who always believed. To the next generation—I leave a dream. Make it count.” Belinelli reflected on his championship-winning career as he wished luck to the next generation of Italian basketball. While the 39-year-old was drafted into the league by the Dubs and had a bit of success with the Hawks, he will be most remembered for his time in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich.

That’s because Marco Belinelli had two stints with the San Antonio Spurs, and even helped them in winning the championship in 2014, in the same year he won the three-point shooting contest in the All-Star weekend against Stephen Curry. Following his second stint with the Spurs, Belinelli left the NBA in 2020 and headed to Italy to play for Virtus Bologna. Where now, after spending five seasons, he’s decided to hang put his boots, entering a new chapter in his life.