Roma Hoops
MAXIMA ROMA ROOM
Ownership, leadership, roster, arena and the road to NBA Europe.
AT A GLANCE
CURRENT STATUS — SEPTEMBER 2026Maxima Roma is only days away from its first official season.
The club will make its Serie A debut at the PalaEur against Napoli on September 27, followed three days later by its first BKT EuroCup game, also at home, against U-BT Cluj-Napoca.
After a summer defined by major investment, NBA-experienced signings and the arrival of Francesco Totti, the project is about to move from construction to competition.COMPETITIONS
Serie A · BKT EuroCupHEAD COACH
Matteo CotelliHOME ARENA
PalaEurEXECUTIVE PRESIDENT
Paul MatiasicOWNERSHIP ADVISOR
Francesco TottiEUROPEAN AMBITION
EuroLeague · NBA Europe
What is Maxima Roma?
Maxima Roma is one of two major new basketball projects launched in the Italian capital ahead of the 2026/27 season.The club was created after the acquisition and transfer to Rome of the sporting rights previously held by Pallacanestro Brescia, an operation approved by the Italian Basketball Federation in June 2026.Led by Italian-American investor Paul Matiasic, Maxima will compete immediately in both Italy’s Serie A and the BKT EuroCup.From the beginning, the project has been built around ambitions extending well beyond its first season. Maxima has assembled a roster combining European experience with several players who have played in the NBA, secured the PalaEur as its principal home and brought Francesco Totti into the organisation to help build a relationship with the city.Its long-term objective is clear: to establish Maxima among the highest levels of European basketball.
Who is behind Maxima Roma?
PAUL MATIASIC
Executive President and the driving force behind the project.
The Italian-American lawyer, entrepreneur and investor previously served as president and owner of Pallacanestro Trieste. His vision for Maxima combines sporting ambition with long-term investment, youth development and a broader entertainment experience around basketball.FRANCESCO TOTTI
Advisor to the ownership, with responsibility for fan-base development and Corporate Social Responsibility.
One of the most recognisable figures in the history of Roman sport, Totti gives the new club an immediate connection with the identity of the city. Maxima has stressed that his role is intended to be active rather than symbolic.MATTEO COTELLI
Head coach of Maxima Roma.
Cotelli joined the project after his experience in Brescia and has been entrusted with building the playing identity of a completely new roster designed to compete immediately in Serie A and EuroCup.THE BOARD
Maxima’s governance structure is led by Matiasic alongside Vice President Richard Lawrence Perna and Managing Directors Assia Grazioli-Venier and Alessandro Pizzirani.
The club has presented this structure as part of its attempt to build a sustainable organisation rather than simply assemble a competitive first team.
THE ROSTER
THE 2026/27 ROSTERAaron Holiday
Xavier Moon
Brynton Lemar
Matt Ryan
John Brown III
Miro Bilan
Vernon Carey Jr.
Mirza Alibegovic
Giovanni Veronesi
Carl Wheatle
Gora Camara
Federico Bonacini
Head coach: Matteo CotelliRoster subject to changes during the season.
THE PALAEUR: MORE THAN A HOME COURT
Maxima Roma will play its principal home games at the PalaEur, one of Rome’s most recognisable indoor arenas.
The agreement between Maxima and EUR S.p.A. covers the 2026/27 season and places the historic venue at the centre of the club’s attempt to build a major basketball experience in the capital.For Maxima, the arena is strategically important.Paul Matiasic has repeatedly spoken about creating an event capable of attracting families, young supporters and audiences beyond the traditional basketball fan base.
The challenge will not simply be playing at the PalaEur.It will be filling it.
MAXIMA ROMA & EUROPE’S NEXT MAP
Maxima’s ambitions do not stop with Serie A and EuroCup.Rome is one of the target markets for the NBA’s planned European competition, expected to begin in 2027, and Maxima has been reported among the groups that submitted an offer for the prospective Rome franchise.At the same time, Maxima has also entered the process for a possible long-term EuroLeague licence as the competition considers an expansion of its franchise model from the 2027/28 season.Paul Matiasic has consistently avoided limiting the project to one specific path, saying that Maxima wants to compete at the highest possible level as quickly as possible.No decision has yet been announced regarding either a Rome NBA Europe franchise or a future EuroLeague licence.That uncertainty makes Maxima one of the most interesting projects to watch as the structure of elite European basketball begins to change.