Sergio Rodriguez retires from the Spanish NT / News - Basketnews.com

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Sergio Rodriguez

Team:AX Armani Exchange MilanPosition:PGAge:35Height:191 cmWeight:80 kgBirth place:Tenerife, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

After the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, it is the turn of Sergio Rodriguez to bid farewell to the Spanish national team after the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In Japan, his team could not close a glorious chapter with a medal after succumbing to the United States in the quarterfinals.'Chacho' said goodbye with an emotional letter on social media in which he assures that he has felt "privileged" throughout the summers he spent with Spain. This is what he wrote:"After days of rest and reflection, after so many years in the national team, the time has come to say goodbye. It hasn't been easy, but I'm sure it's the right time.During all these years, I have been very happy and I felt privileged to be able to do what I love and to further contribute to the success of the national team, being on a team with great players, coaches, other members of the group, presidents José Luis Sáez and Jorge Garbajosa and also the fans who supported me.All my expectations when I started have been exceeded in terms of successes and experiences.We have not only been partners, but also friends. I have learned from everyone, in winning and in losing. For me, the summers since the year 2000 have always been linked to the national teams. These gatherings have marked my character and my vision of basketball as a life experience. It has been a luxury to belong to this family and I hope I have been able to respond adequately to the challenges we have faced, always together and without frictions. Thanks a lot!".

154 national team caps, 7 medals and the memory of some unforgettable performances is part of the legacy left by Sergio Rodríguez, one of the most outstanding players in the recent history of Spain.Sergio Rodríguez debuted as an international in the 2005 Eurobasket, in which he shared the point guard position with José Manuel Calderón and Carlos Cabezas. His explosion came a year later, in the 2006 World Cup, in which his performance in the semifinal against Argentina shone in a special way.From those beginnings and until the Olympic Games this summer, his career in the national team includes 5 Eurobasket, 3 Olympic Games and 2 World Cups. In total, he scored 885 points and dished 456 assists, one of his great and most spectacular specialties. His silverware comprises 7 medals: 2 gold (World Cup 2006 and Eurobasket 2015), 2 silver (Eurobasket 2007 and Olympic Games 2012) and another 3 bronze (Eurobasket 2013, Olympic Games 2016 and Eurobasket 2017). Throughout all these years he has been an essential player for Sergio Scariolo, Juan Antonio Orenga, Pepu Hernández and Mario Pesquera, the coach with whom he made the leap.In 2004 he was one of the great protagonists of the gold medal won by Spain in the European U18 held in Zaragoza, in which he coincided with Sergio Llull. He also played, a year later, in the European U20, alongside Marc Gasol.

Credit Fotodiena.lt/E. BlaževičiusThe president of the Spanish Basketball Federation Jorge Garbajosa stated that "Chacho has been a fundamental pillar in the history of Spain NT. He has contributed his sporting and human quality not only to the sporting successes of the team in which he has participated but also to the continuity and transmission of the values of a project that has been an example for world basketball. We express our infinite gratitude to Sergio for having been part of our family, for having done it with the maximum commitment and for leaving a legacy that will undoubtedly inspire the new generations of Spanish basketball and the National Team”.

The president of FEB added that "talking about him is for me special because we have shared championships and concentrations, numerous successes and fortunately few problems, and our relationship has gone beyond that of simple companions, it is above friendship. He knows that he will always have the doors of the Spanish Federation open because he will never stop being part of our team”.

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