As March Madness approaches, basketball fans are reminded of Donte DiVincenzo and his iconic, record-breaking 31-point performance to power Villanova to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball title. With this year’s tournament approaching, DiVincenzo is starring in a March Madness-themed commercial in partnership with AT&T.
DiVincenzo is partnered with AT&T as part of their ongoing Guaranteed Madness campaign alongside his Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart. The former Villanova teammates reunited for the commercial to promote AT&T’s unique promise to fans: the AT&T Guarantee.
Below is my exclusive interview with DiVincenzo where the former Villanova superstar reflected on both his collegiate and NBA careers, discussing the brotherly love he has with his “Villanova BFFs” and his transition from playing for the New York Knicks to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
FULL Exclusive Interview with Donte DiVincenzo:
Question: What’s it been like working with AT&T and your Villanova buddies on this campaign and do you have any plans on watching the March Madness tournament with your Villanova buddies?
DiVincenzo: Watching it with them? Absolutely not. I can’t stand those guys. But watching it with other friends and family? Yes, I will be tuned in. AT&T made it super easy for me, super simple for me, made me look really good in the commercial. So many fun little things happened throughout the day and to have the opportunity to do it with some of my closest friends, you couldn’t ask for anything to go as perfectly smooth as it did.
Question: Talking about those friends, you spent that one season with the New York Knicks, you got to play with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, two guys you won a Villanova championship alongside. How did it feel to play with those guys at the NBA level?
DiVincenzo: It felt great. Obviously it’s so interesting because you’re in college, you’re in that age bracket 18-21, everyone’s trying to figure out what they’re trying to do with their lives, with their careers. And the next thing you know we’re all in the NBA, we all have families at that point, and we’re all coming back together and it’s such a different stage in life. It was a lot of fun playing with them and it felt like we were back in college again.
Question: Jalen Brunson has had such a meteoric rise in his NBA career. What have you seen from him that’s allowed him to separate himself and become one of the league’s best?
DiVincenzo: The thing is with opportunity and preparation. He just got an opportunity to lead a team. It’s no knock on when he was in Dallas, but Luka [Doncic] was the man in Dallas and that was the thing. When you go to New York and different people are injured, in and out, this and that, and you’re the point guard, he had a chance to show what he was capable of and everything he is doing now is exactly what he was doing in college, is exactly what he was doing in high school. He has the same game that he’s always had and it’s a game that can last a very very long time. He’s not relying on above-the-rim play, he’s not relying on the speed and the quickness. He’ll outsmart you, he’ll get to his spot, his skill is through the roof, and his willingness to get better and his willingness to win a game is what separates him.
Question: Is there one moment in your career that you look at as a defining moment so far?
DiVincenzo: I wouldn’t say there is one thing that’s a defining moment. I would say there’s a lot of exciting moments that have happened in my career. Obviously the championship is what everyone remembers, having 31 in the chip and how good you feel. But also like the way I was performing last year in the playoffs. It was a gradual climb last year throughout the season, didn’t start off playing that much, and then started playing more and started playing better, and the next thing you know, with different injuries with different guys in and out, like I said, the opportunity presented itself and I took advantage of it. I was very happy with how I performed last year and I was building off that going into this year. Every single game I’m trying to get better and every single year I’m trying to take the next step.
Question: You mentioned this season, this is your first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, how has that been so far and how was it making that transition from New York to Minnesota?
DiVincenzo: It’s been great. I’m having a hell of a time out here. It’s fun, the fans are great, organization is top tier and they made everything so simple after the trade and took care of the family, took care of everything and all I had to do was focus on basketball and that’s all I could ask for from an organization. It allows me to just clear my mind and play ball and now we’re clicking at the right moment.
Question: Villanova didn’t make it to this year’s March Madness tournament but do you have any expectations for the program moving forward and do you keep a close eye on how the program is doing?
DiVincenzo: Yeah, I keep an eye on them. I talk to some of the guys, I talk to some of the people within the organization and within the school. There’s just a collective thought that we will be back to whatever status of what we were before when we were there. But it’s also the realization of, ‘you’re not gonna have that every single year.’ So, just getting back to the drawing board, getting back to work, getting the guys back into the gym and, whatever team we have going forward just knowing that, whatever standard we had when we were there and whatever identity we had when we were there just gets implemented again and they get back to it.
Question: You’ve dealt with a ton of adversity throughout your NBA and collegiate career, but you’ve also played with a bunch of superstars. Stephen Curry on the Warriors, obviously Brunson on the Knicks, and now of course with the Minnesota Timberwolves you’re alongside Anthony Edwards. What have you taken from all of those guys that you’ve maybe added to your game or regarding work ethic, on/off the court, what have you drawn from those other stars?
DiVincenzo: I have taken from Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is his preparation. From Steph [Curry] is his mindset of not worrying about making or missing shots. Ant [Edwards], he is 23 years old but he still comes in with this level of love for the game and lightheartedness that is needed sometimes. You’re too hard on yourself sometimes collectively as players and he’s one of those guys that has the next-play mentality and it’s refreshing to see. Jalen [Brunson], I’m not going to call him a star, I’m going to call him a normal dude out there because I’m not going to give him that upper hand but his preparation and his mindset is what sets him apart.
Question: I love the rivalry you have with your Villanova buddies. The commercial was great. Anything you want to share that went down behind the scenes of making that commercial?
DiVincenzo: It was a lot of jokes, there was a lot of fun times. We probably could have got through the shoot a lot quicker. But knowing us and how much we play around and joke around, we made it worth their time and it was definitely a fun time.
Question: I really enjoyed the commercial and it was great to see you guys reunite in the commercial. Any hope that one day you reunite with those guys on the court? Or with this rivalry you all have going on and the way you like to poke fun at each other, maybe you want to stay away from teaming up with those guys again?
DiVincenzo: Listen, I don’t like them. I don’t like them. I know they don’t like each other. So whatever they say about playing with each other is a lie. They don’t like each other. But no, listen, we had an opportunity last year to play together and it was absolutely amazing. Mikal [Bridges] did not get to experience that, and now he is experiencing it. From that standpoint, it was a lot of fun, and I got to check it off my list. Obviously, I miss those guys every day. But I’m super happy here in Minnesota. I love it here. I’m having a hell of a year, I’m feeling good, my family’s good, and I still talk to those dudes every single day. So am I missing them? No, I’m not. Because I don’t have to deal with Jalen [Brunson] and Josh [Hart] every single day. Mikal [Bridges] is the easy one, but Jalen and Josh I don’t have to deal with every day. But yeah, they’re my brothers and we’re always going to have a relationship.
Question: I’m an Italian-American myself so I’ve got a little bit of bias, I root for you a little extra. What does that mean for you? Obviously when you played in New York, that is such a heavy Italian-American area as well, do you carry that and share a little bit of your Italian-American heritage as pride when you’re on the basketball court?
DiVincenzo: Yeah, absolutely. You can see at times that there would be certain celebrations that Italians would do (he said as he was pinching his fingers together). It brings a lot of pride in me and my family as well. My dad takes a lot of pride in it. Being able to represent that and hopefully play and represent the country is going to be something that I look forward to trying to do. Every single day that I step on the court it’s the heritage that I’m trying to represent what my family means and where we come from.
Question: Any closing thoughts on the AT&T program and the campaign that you’re helping them run?
DiVincenzo: I had an amazing time. They made it so smooth and easy. For me, I look forward to doing hopefully many more things with AT&T because I had an amazing time and it was so easy.
Donte DiVincenzo stars in “NOVA BFFs” AT&T commercial
AT&T’s March Madness campaign is ongoing as they aim to highlight the AT&T Guarantee for fans. Check out the “NOVA BFFs” commercial below: