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Speaking to the press before Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Palermo in a pre-season friendly held in Sicily, Pep Guardiola was asked a few questions about the NBA. Particularly close to the Boston Celtics manager Joe Mazzulla, Guardiola initially expressed excitement over the Celtics’ renewing the head coach’s contract.
“I love it,” he said, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line, as he went on to reveal his love for the NBA.
“The NBA has always been important in my life,” Guardiola said, before being asked about his favorite basketball stars in the post-Michael Jordan era. His reply did not leave a lot to be desired.
Guardiola named Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Stephen Curry as his favorite NBA stars, although Mazzulla might be irked to see two of those players belong to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics coach had even visited City’s training base in Manchester during the 2024 NBA All-Star break.
The two are known to have cultivated a close relationship that stems from mutual respect. Guardiola’s team played out the last of their pre-season fixtures before the official season kicks off in England next weekend.
City ended up 3-0 winners with goals from Erling Haaland and Tijjani Reijnders, the latter ending up with a brace. As a result of the win, City lifted the Anglo Palermitan Trophy and will now head back to Manchester.
Under the Spanish manager, Manchester City have won a total of 18 trophies. This includes six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the 2023 UEFA Champions League. Guardiola joined Manchester City after successful spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
With the latter, he coached legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, alongside the likes of all-time greats such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Carlos Puyol. However, his NBA knowledge appears to be just as impressive, as far as the recent interview goes.
