On September 8th Beijing time, in the EuroBasket Round of 16, Italy lost 77-84 to Slovenia, missing out on the quarterfinals. After being defeated by the team led by Doncic, the Italian men's basketball team seemed to reach a closing chapter, with Gallinari playing his final game for the national team and head coach Pozzecco announcing his resignation.

In this match, Gallinari came off the bench for 11 minutes and 43 seconds, shooting 3 of 7 from the field, 1 of 3 from three-point range, and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line, scoring 10 points along with 3 rebounds and 1 assist. After the game, Gallinari received a commemorative plaque, likely marking all his scoring moments with the national team.

Italian head coach Pozzecco confirmed he has decided to step down. "This was my last game coaching Italy," Pozzecco said at the press conference. "I want to thank the Italian Basketball Federation president Petrucci for giving me this honor to be the national team coach. Honestly, this experience is—no, definitely has been—the best time of my life. Serving in this role in Italian basketball has been a tremendous privilege for me."

He then expressed gratitude to those who trusted him from the start: "I want to thank Strainoti, our general manager. It was he and the president who together decided to give me this opportunity and trusted me day after day. Of course, I also thank my coaching staff—they have long surpassed brotherly bonds."

When speaking about the players, Pozzecco showed deep emotion: "Of course, my players. I truly love every one of them. I don’t care what kind of coach I am considered, nor do I pay attention to these judgments or my coaching career. What you think of me means nothing to me. In my life and coaching career, my only concern has been them."

He admitted that this loss hurt him deeply, but not because of the score, rather due to what the defeat meant for the team. "I am really sad today, not because we lost the game, but because I saw them (the players) suffering. Even if I were the worst coach in the world, I wouldn’t care at all, truly. Believe me, I’m not lying; I won’t deceive you."

Finally, Pozzecco clearly expressed his respect and love for the team: "As I told them in the locker room after the game, no one respects the Italian players more than I do. I also told them no one loves them more than I do."

During Pozzecco’s coaching tenure, he led Italy to the EuroBasket quarterfinals in 2022, the FIBA Basketball World Cup quarterfinals in 2023, and this time guided the team to the EuroBasket Round of 16 in 2025.