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ago 19 2026Olimpia Milano continues its NBA shopping spree. The Italian club has secured the signing of Garrison Mathews, who at 29 years old crosses the Atlantic for the first time in his career, according to the club announcement, which did not reveal the contract length.
His profile leaves no doubt about his purpose. Mathews is a pure specialist: a 38.2% three-point shooter over seven NBA seasons, with a peak of 44% in the 2023-24 season that was the fourth-best mark in the entire league.
Seven years of hard work
His story is that of a role player who carved out a niche without draft pedigree. He came out of Lipscomb, a university he helped reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history, went undrafted in 2019 and still managed to play 329 games with four franchises: Washington, Houston, Atlanta, and Indiana.
His best statistical season came in Houston, with 10 points and 2.9 rebounds in the 2021-22 season. In Atlanta he spent three seasons as a bench shooter, and his final year in Indiana was reduced to fifteen appearances with 5.2 points, a sign that his American cycle was running out.
He himself framed it as a new beginning: he expressed enthusiasm about opening a new chapter, thanked the opportunity offered by the club and its coaching staff, and said he was eager to get to work and help however he could.
Eighth signing of a brand new roster
The move confirms the magnitude of Milano's reconstruction. Mathews is the eighth addition of the summer, following Alec Peters, Jason Burnell, Devon Hall, Nicola Akele, Darius Thompson, RJ Cole, and Moses Wright, in a roster that head coach Peppe Poeta is rebuilding almost from scratch.
A curiosity for local fans: during his NBA stint he shared a locker room with several players who will compete in the EuroLeague this year, including Usman Garuba, with whom he played 55 games in Atlanta, as well as Bruno Fernando, Trent Forrest, Armoni Brooks, and Patty Mills.
