Nicolò Melli (born 26 January 1991) is an Italian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Fenerbahçe Beko of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL) and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. He also represents the senior Italian national team. He mainly plays at the

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

position, but he has also played at center. Melli earned an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Youth career

The

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

native started his career with home town side

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also simply known as Reggiana or Reggio Emilia, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Unahotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as ...

. After an accumulation of injuries Melli was called up to train with the senior team in October 2004, at only 13. He sat on the bench during a 24 October league game (an age record) though he did not play and returned to the youth teams afterwards. In October 2006 he participated in the Italian leg of the Jordan Classic Camp international tour, regrouping a selection of the thirty most promising under-16 players, with the MVP earning a trip to the American edition of the camp. Melli was selected as co-MVP, meeting

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

and going to the U.S. in April 2007. He talked of recruiting interest from American college

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

during the same period.

Professional career

Pallacanestro Reggiana (2007–2010)

In August 2007, he signed a five-year professional contract with Pallacanestro Reggiana and started training with the first team. The same year, in October, the 16-year-old debuted in the Italian national second division

LegaDue Serie A2, known for sponsorship reasons as Serie A2 Old Wild West, is a men's basketball league in Italy. It constitutes the second-tier of the Italian league pyramid, below the first division LBA and above the third division Serie B, with ...

. In May 2008, during the

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

semi-finals against

Aurora Basket Jesi Aurora Basket Jesi is an Italian professional basketball club based in Jesi. It plays in the second division Serie A2 as of the 2015-16 season. History In 1965, Gianni Rossetti (a television journalist for RAI), Carlo Barchiesi (current presid ...

, he replaced injured starter

Benjamin Ortner Benjamin Ortner (born March 16, 1983) is a former Austrian professional basketball player who last played for Pallacanestro Reggiana of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Early years and college career Ortner was born and raised in Innsbruc ...

and contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort. He finished the season playing an average of 10.6 minutes with 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds. During the off-season, the 17-year-old participated in the Reebok Eurocamp in

Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...

but did not make an impression on observers (albeit playing against older players, sometimes by five years). He also returned to the U.S., attending the Adidas Nations that pitted international teams of promising youngsters. Though he was praised by an observer for his work ethic, it was also noted that his game (and lack of athleticism) was unsuited to the American game. Melli started the next season in great form, with 12 points and 18 rebounds followed by 24 points in two games, however, on 21 December 2008, Melli suffered a serious knee injury. Scans revealed an

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...

on his left knee, requiring surgery and at least five months of rehabilitation though he would be able to continue his career. He returned to action in 2009–10 as a starter; he averaged 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in 28 minutes, though he missed the promotion playoffs because of a shoulder injury.

Olimpia Milano (2010–2015)

2010–11 season

On the radar of strong sides for some time, Melli joined Armani Jeans Milano, of the elite domestic

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

and European

in July 2010, signing a four-year deal. After struggling to earn minutes, Melli was loaned to fellow Serie A side Scavolini-Siviglia Pesaro in February 2011. A month later he returned to Milan, to take part in the Italian All Star Game where he contributed 12 points for Italy. Melli finished the 2010–11 season with 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 16 minutes per game for Pesaro (compared with 9 minutes for Milan previously).

2011–12 season

The next season saw Melli accrue slightly more playing time but despite some highlights, such as a team-high 17 points in a EuroLeague Group G defeat against

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS () is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukr ...

, he finished the regular season with 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11 minutes per game (Serie A) and 3.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9 minutes per game (EuroLeague). He had more impact in the Serie A playoffs, including decisive performances in the semi-final game 3 against former side Pesaro (5 points in 19 minutes and a good defensive performance, with 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block) and then in game 4 of the finals against future champions

Montepaschi Siena Mens Sana Basketball Siena, also known as simply Mens Sana, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Siena. It is a section of the sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana, founded in 1871. Under the name Montepaschi Siena, derived from spon ...

where he was part of a second-half fightback to win the game, finishing with 11 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes.

2012–13 season

In 2012–13, Melli increased his averages to 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds (Serie A), 4.6 points and 3 rebounds (EuroLeague), and his minutes to respectively 17 and 15 in a season nearly devoid of highlights both personally and for Milan (eliminated in the domestic quarterfinals and the EuroLeague regular season). An exception was his third successive participation in the December Italian league All-Star Game, in which he top-scored along with Milan teammate Alessandro Gentile (18 points), adding a game-best 10 rebounds. During the summer, he worked out with a number of

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

sides, with an observer commenting that he seemed too light physically for the league, he would go undrafted in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

2013–14 season

2013–14 proved to be Melli's breakthrough season, with his good performances becoming more regular as he cemented his place in Milan's starting five. The first of those decisive contributions came in Milan's second EuroLeague game of the season against Žalgiris, where Melli scored a career-high 20 points, adding 9 rebounds and 2 steals in 25 minutes to earn a PIR of 28. During the decisive 74–73 victory against

Brose Bamberg Bamberg Baskets is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia/North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup six times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...

in the penultimate group stage game, he defended

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

as he missed the Brose's last shot which allowed Milan to progress to the Top 16. Though he lad less impact further on as Milan reached the EuroLeague quarterfinals, Melli finished with respectable averages of 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.9 steals in around 21 minutes in the competition. Domestically, he regularly posted scored in double figures, including a career-high 24 points against

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, put against more average games he finished with 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in a career-high 21 minutes. Discarding the statistics, Melli had crucial contributions during the Serie A playoffs, starting with 18 points in 22 minutes in the first game against

Pistoia Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

. After starting the finals series against defending champions

with some off-games Melli exploded in the final two games. In the do-or-die game 6, with Milan trailing, he scored two successive three-pointers to regain the lead before adding a steal and a number of decisive rebounds as Milan won the game to earn a game 7 decider. In that game, he contributed 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds as Milan won to become Italian champions for the first time in 18 years.

2014–15 season

In July 2014, his contract with Milan was extended for another year. The season proved more difficult for both parties, Melli had an unremarkable season (5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in the EuroLeague, 5.6 and 4.3 in Serie A) as Milan were stopped in the Italian playoff semi-finals in their title defense and stalled in the EuroLeague Top 16.

Brose Bamberg (2015–2017)

Melli moved abroad in July 2015, signing with German side Brose Bamberg for two years. He cited Brose's strong pursuit of his services and their offering him a more important role in the side as motivation for the move abroad, adding that the presence of compatriots Andrea Trinchieri and

Daniele Baiesi Daniele is an Italian male given name, the cognate of the English name Daniel. Danièle is also a French female given name, an alternative spelling of Danielle. The name "Daniel" originates from the Hebrew Bible and is associated with the proph ...

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and GM respectively would facilitate his adaptation. Melli was named the MVP of the Month of November of the

2015–16 Euroleague The 2015–16 Turkish Airlines Euroleague was the 16th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the sixth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champi ...

. Melli was named the EuroLeague Round 11 MVP, after scoring 27 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, in a 70–85 away victory over

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

, on 8 December 2016. He was named to the season's All-EuroLeague Second Team.

Fenerbahçe (2017–2019)

On 8 July 2017, Melli signed a three-year contract with Turkish club Fenerbahçe. In the

2017–18 EuroLeague The 2017–18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was the 18th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the eighth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champi ...

season, Fenerbahçe made it to the

2018 EuroLeague Final Four The 2018 EuroLeague Final Four was the concluding EuroLeague Final Four tournament of the 2017–18 EuroLeague season, the 61st season of Europe's premier club basketball tournament, and the 18th season since it was organised by Euroleague Baske ...

, its fourth consecutive

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

appearance. Eventually, they lost to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

, by a score of 80–85 in the finals game. In the finals game, Melli was the finals top scorer, as he scored 28 points, which was the most points scored in a EuroLeague Finals game by a player since 1985. He had a season-best performance in the

EuroLeague Finals The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is European professional club basketball pyramid, the highest level tier, and most important professional sports, professional sports club, club bask ...

, scoring 28 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Over 36 EuroLeague games played in total, he averaged 8.9 points, 5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2021)

On 25 July 2019, Melli signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). On 22 October 2019, Melli made his debut in NBA, coming off the bench in a 122–130 overtime loss to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

with fourteen points, five rebounds and two assists. On 12 February 2020, Melli replaced

Deandre Ayton Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. ( ; born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2017 and a McDonald's All ...

for the World Team in the

Rising Stars Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend and is intended to showcase young and rising players in t ...

Dallas Mavericks (2021)

He was traded to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

on 26 March 2021, alongside

JJ Redick Jonathan Clay "JJ" Redick ( ) (born June 24, 1984) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He most recently served as an analyst ...

in exchange for James Johnson and Wes Iwundu, in addition to a second-round draft-pick. He made his debut three days later, in a 127–106 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

where he recorded six points in twelve minutes.

Return to Olimpia Milano (2021–2024)

On 9 July 2021, Melli made his return to Europe by officially signing with his former club

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

On June 20, 2024, Melli parted ways once more with the Italian powerhouse.

Return to Fenerbahçe (2024–present)

On June 25, 2024, he signed with Fenerbahçe Beko of the Turkish

(BSL) for a second stint. On May 25, 2025, Melli helped Fenerbahçe to their second EuroLeague championship in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. He helped the team defeat the defending champions Panathinaikos in the semi-final with 9 points and 6 rebounds, and

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

in the final with 5 points and 3 rebounds.

National team career

Italian junior national team

Melli played with the Italian Under-16 side at the 2007 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, averaging 13.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game (all three team bests), as he was selected to the tournament's best five. With the U-18's at the

2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Greece from July 25, 2008 until August 3. The hosts, Greeks, emerged as the champions after beating the Lithuanians in the final, 57–50 to clinch th ...

, he averaged 9.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game (the latter a team best). In the

2011 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2011 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the 14th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The competition featured 16 teams, held in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain from July 14–24. Spain became a champion for the first time. Pa ...

, Melli contributed 10.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1 block per game, in nearly 25 minutes played per game, including 23 points and 11 rebounds in the quarterfinal against Montenegro, to help Italy reach the final. He had an off-game against Spain in the semi-final, grabbing 7 rebounds and scoring 9 points, but shooting 2 for 8 from the floor, and committing four fouls, as Italy had to make do with a silver medal.

Italian senior national team

Melli made his full debut (discounting the All-Star Game) for the senior Italian team in August 2011, though he was rarely called up until 2013. After being called up to the Italy squad for

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France men's national basketball ...

, the

had to play in an unfamiliar center position, due to the lack of big men in Italy's squad. Alternating at the position with

Marco Cusin Marco Cusin (born 28 February 1985) is an Italian professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Cantù of the Italian Serie A2 Basket, Serie A2 second tier national league. Professional career On 14 July 2010 Cusin signed a deal with the Itali ...

, he was pitted against bigger and stronger opponents, finishing the tournament with a respectable 4.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, in around 16 minutes played per game – with highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

– as Italy reached the tournament's quarterfinals. Melli also played at the

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

. Melli scored a team high 15 points in a win against

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in the preliminary round of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 60 , , 8 , , 17.4 , , .421 , , .335 , , .740 , , 3.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .6 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .254 , , .189 , , .857 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 23 , , 4 , , 14.1 , , .378 , , .333 , , .722 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 105 , , 12 , , 15.3 , , .392 , , .316 , , .745 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , 2.0 , , , , .3 , , , , 0.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , 2.0 , , , , .3 , , , , 0.0

EuroLeague

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, 10 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .375 , , .300 , , .667 , , 2.4 , , .2 , , .3 , , .4 , , 3.3 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , 11 , , 1 , , 9.1 , , .563 , , .333 , , .500 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , .4 , , .2 , , 3.4 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , 10 , , 0 , , 15.2 , , .364 , , .250 , , .667 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.6 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 27 , , 20 , , 20.6 , , .478 , , .333 , , .773 , , 4.3 , , .8 , , .9 , , .6 , , 5.3 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , 24 , , 17 , , 20.4, , .400 , , .333 , , .700 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 5.3 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

, 23 , , 23 , , 28.5 , , .468 , , .453 , , .815 , , 6.5 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .7 , , 9.2 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 30 , , 30 , , 28.8 , , .502 , , .434 , , .740 , , 7.4 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .7 , , 11.5 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Fenerbahçe , style="background:#CFECEC;", 36* , , 16 , , 26.0 , , .502 , , .430 , , .805 , , 5.0 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .3 , , 8.9 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 36 , , 34 , , 25.3 , , .435 , , .385 , , .816 , , 4.1 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .6 , , 7.3 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3",

, 32 , , 32 , , 25.0 , , .467 , , .292 , , .792 , , 5.0 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 8.1 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , 32 , , 31 , , 25.6 , , .505 , , .368 , , .660 , , 5.4 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 8.2 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , 34 , , 34 , , 24.4 , , .475 , , .387 , , .577 , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .6 , , 7.3 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2024–25† , style="text-align:left;", Fenerbahçe Beko , 38 , , 1 , , 17.2 , , .619 , , .373 , , .607 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 4.9 , , 6.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 343 , , 239 , , 23.1 , , .530 , , .377 , , .736 , , 4.8 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.2 , , 10.0

Domestic leagues

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; text-align:right;" ! Year ! Team ! League ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , , style="text-align:left;", Reggiana , , style="text-align:center;",

, , 25 , , 10.6 , , .446 , , .273 , , .727 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , , style="text-align:left;", Reggiana , , style="text-align:center;",

, , 13 , , 24.6 , , .419 , , .389 , , .775 , , 5.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , , style="text-align:left;", Reggiana , , style="text-align:center;",

, , 27 , , 28.2 , , .460 , , .180 , , .719 , , 7.1 , , .9 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 17 , , 8.9 , , .289 , , .231 , , .571 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , .9 , , .5 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:left;", Victoria Libertas , , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 12 , , 16.0 , , .340 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 37 , , 12.6 , , .375 , , .265 , , .786 , , 3.2 , , .4 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 37 , , 17.6 , , .434 , , .338 , , .804 , , 4.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , .4 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2013–14† , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 47 , , 21.2 , , .476 , , .372 , , .750 , , 4.9 , , .8 , , .7 , , .6 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 39 , , 20.1 , , .429 , , .319 , , .737 , , 4.3 , , .9 , , .7 , , .6 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2015–16† , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", BBL , , 42 , , 23.1 , , .513 , , .429 , , .755 , , 5.0 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2016–17† , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", BBL , , 41 , , 22.9 , , .427 , , .390 , , .860 , , 4.9 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .8 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2017–18† , , style="text-align:left;", Fenerbahçe , , style="text-align:center;", TBSL , , 36 , , 23.1 , , .551 , , .451 , , .719 , , 4.7 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , , style="text-align:left;", Fenerbahçe , , style="text-align:center;", TBSL , , 36 , , 24.9 , , .471 , , .414 , , .836 , , 4.8 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2021–22† , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 34 , , 21.4 , , .516 , , .250 , , .692 , , 5.4 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 42 , , 23.2 , , .582 , , .400 , , .714 , , 6.6 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .5 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2023–24† , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 39 , , 23.5 , , .520 , , .359 , , .455 , , 6.0 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , 9.0

Personal life

Melli is the son of the former

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player Julie Vollertsen—a silver medalist with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

1984 Olympic Games The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an i ...

—and corporate lawyer (formerly amateur basketball player for Pallacanestro Reggiana and television journalist) Leopoldo Melli. They met when Vollertsen moved from the U.S. to

to play professionally. Enrico, Melli's younger brother who was born in 1995, has also played basketball for Reggiana. Melli has dual citizenship in Italy and the United States. He didn't visit the United States until he was 16, and he has said he doesn't feel very American. He describes his English as good but not fluent.