Jorge Garbajosa expresses admiration for Serbia, wants to see France bounce back / News - Basketnews.com

Jorge Garbajosa explained why he's delighted for Serbia's World Cup success. The president of FIBA Europe named his favorite player on the Balkan side's roster and commented on Spain's short presence in the tournament.

Credit: REUTERS/Lisa Marie David Credit REUTERS/Lisa Marie David

Jorge Garbajosa was recently elected as the new president of FIBA ​​Europe. The retired player, who won the FIBA World Cup with Spain in 2006, is currently in Manila, where this year's final between Serbia and Germany will be held.

"When you enter these waters, you quickly realize how productive you can be if you are hardworking and diligent," Garbajosa told Mozzart Sport's Nikola Stojkovic.

"With all due respect, FIBA ​​Europe should be at the service not only of the richest and best basketball countries but also of the poorer and smaller ones," he added.

Garbajosa, 46, won as many as six medals at major competitions with Spain. After paying a visit to Jakarta to watch 'La Roja' in action until his country's team was eliminated, he traveled to the Philippines for the tournament's final stage. As the 2023 World Cup wraps up this Sunday, Garbajosa said he's supporting Serbia all the way.

"As someone who has been involved in basketball for years, as the president of FIBA ​​Europe, I am very proud of Serbia and the way they reached the finals. This is a happy day for me," he pointed out.

Garbajosa added that Team USA was initially his pick to win the trophy, but having two European teams in the title game outweighs and overshadows everything else.

"No matter how much I respect the North American teams, I am glad that we will see two European teams in the final," he argued. He also stressed that Serbia played attractive basketball en route to the finishing line.

"Even though the team does not have big stars like [Nikola] Jokic, [Vasilije] Micic, [Nikola] Kalinic, and [Vladimir] Lucic, Serbia showed what team spirit means and how far the unity of all players around the same goal can take it. That's why I congratulate them on their great success."

Garbajosa admitted he didn't expect Serbia to go all the way in the tournament, especially since they lacked four important players.

"However, the leadership of Bogdan Bogdanovic, along with the coaching experience of my friend Svetislav Pesic, as well as the other players, where everyone knows their role in the team, have shown how much Serbia can really do and basketball fans like me are delighted," he said.

Although the former Toronto Raptors forward was impressed by Nikola Milutinov, Stefan and Nikola Jovic, his favorite Serbian player is no other than Bogdanovic.

"I adore him, I have known him for a very long time and he is a true leader. The protagonist. He always knows when to take the lead role on the floor and lead his team to victory," he praised his former opponent.

"But Serbia is not the only one player," Garbajosa clarified. "See how all the players fit into Pesic's system. You have so many EuroLeague and NBA players, it's a good combination. In my time, when I was a player, when we saw Serbia, we would feel a great deal of respect. Now I feel proud when I see them play like that."

While Serbia flourished in the tournament, outgoing champs Spain didn't make it past the Round of 16. The losses to Latvia and Canada left the Spanish squad out of the knockout games for the first time since 1994.

"It's not easy to play at the highest level all the time," Garbajosa thinks. "The preparation wasn't easy. We missed [Ricky] Rubio, which is why Juan Nunez was our starting point guard at the age of 19. It was not easy for him, he had to carry a lot of responsibility and he coped well with that role," he opined.

"I hope that Spain will return to the big stage next year as a serious candidate, I wish the same for France, who struggled a lot this summer and this was not an easy tournament for them," Garbajosa concluded.

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.