The Italian basketball world is in mourning after the death of Liliana Mabel Bocchi, known simply as Mabel, at the age of 72. Born in Parma in 1953, she is widely regarded as one of Italy’s greatest female basketball players, dominating courts both nationally and internationally for over a decade. She began her career in 1968 with Partenio Avellino, helping them earn promotion to Serie A, and in 1969 she moved to Geas Sesto San Giovanni, where she became a true legend.
With Geas, she won eight Italian league titles between 1970 and 1978 and a European Cup in 1978, marking Italy’s first continental success in women’s basketball. Bocchi later played for Accorsi Torino and GBC Milano, finishing her Serie A career with 241 appearances and 3,319 points.
She also had a stellar international career, earning 113 caps and scoring 984 points for Italy. She won a bronze medal at the 1974 European Championship and was named the World Player of the Year by FIBA in 1975 after the World Championship in Colombia, where she scored 33 points in a game against Brazil. Bocchi was inducted into the Italy Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Beyond the court, Bocchi worked as a sports journalist on television from 1978, becoming a familiar face to fans. She also appeared briefly in the film Lui è peggio di me alongside Renato Pozzetto and Adriano Celentano. After retiring from playing, she continued to share her passion for sports through writing for La Gazzetta dello Sport. Mabel Bocchi leaves behind a legacy as one of the most important figures in Italian basketball history.
