Marc Gasol took a look at the sky from where the confetti fell on his broad shoulder and then he cradled down and kissed the golden chalice of the world cup that is given to this year’s champions.
This is the second time in the last three months that Gasol has celebrated championship but this time he did it for Spain, his nation.
The MVP of the tournament Ricky Rubio added 20 points while Sergio Lull scored 15 points as Spain defeated Argentina by 95-75 on Sunday to win the World Cup in China.
Rubio said, “We were not the most talented team here and we were not the tallest team here. Put anything you want to put here. But still, we were the team with a big heart and we showed it tonight and we showed that during this whole tournament.”
With this win, marc Gasol has become the only 2nd ever player from NBA to have won the NBA championship and the World Cup in the same year. The first one was Lamar Odom who won both titles back in 2010 when he won the Los Angeles Laker’s NBA championship.
In addition to this, Gasol has also become the 19th ever international player to have won the crowns of NBA and WNBA along with the gold medal in the same year.
As for the last 18 to have achieved this feat, they were all from the USA.
Gasol said, “To win the NAB championship and the World Cup, what can I say? How does it sound to you? I feel extremely fortunate to be in this great position and also feel lucky to be part of the history of Spain’s basketball.”
As for Argentina, they were led by Gabriel Deck who scored 24 points.
With the World Cup now concluded, Argentina has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics of 2002 along with Spain.
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