Spanish basketball rewards its legends and the elite of the national parquet

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hosted this Sunday the third edition of the Spanish Basketball Gala, which brought together players, coaches, federation and club representatives to honor, among others, figures and legends of the Spanish parquet such as Sergio Llull and Silvia Domínguez or legends like Amaya Valdemoro or Carmelo Cabrera.

The event also coincides with the presence of the senior men’s team in the city, where it will play its next preparation match for the Eurobasket this Tuesday at the Gran Canaria Arena, with Lithuania as its rival, in another of the events planned within the agreement signed with the Island Council.

The great basket sport festival, organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) and the Marca newspaper at the Hotel Santa Catalina, began with the words of the president of the federative body, Jorge Garbajosa, who highlighted the excellent state of health of national basketball.

“The successes of Spanish basketball are unparalleled. They ask us how we do it and I say that it is through the collaboration of all levels. We have the best leagues, except for the NBA and the WNBA, and we have a team that makes us feel proud. But I want to give special recognition to our crown jewel, in this case youth basketball, since we can say that we have had the best summer with six finals in our lower categories. I couldn’t feel more proud”, he argued the president of the FEB.

At the Gala, in the category of Best National Players, both the Balearic international of Real Madrid, Sergio Llull -who scored the Endesa League title and second place in the Euroleague with the white team-, as well as the captain from Perfumerías Avenida, Silvia Domínguez, champion of the Copa de la Reina and the Endesa League.

The escort of the white team was “very happy” for the award. “In the end, I play to win collective titles, but whenever they give you an individual award that recognizes your work, it motivates you even more, now that we are focused on the national team,” he added.

For his part, Domínguez stressed that this award is “a recognition of a whole year with the club and the national team.” “These little things give me more energy to continue challenging myself, now that I have fewer years of basketball left, but when things like this come along, they are appreciated,” he added.

On the other hand, Madrid center Willy Hernangómez -NBA player who this season has averaged 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds with the New Orleans Pelicans- and María Conde -USK Praha star with her 17.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in the Euroleague – won the award in the category of Best National Players in International Competition.

The international center thanked the award, thanking “that his “season and effort” are valued without hesitating, moreover, to put the team among the favorites. “This is a very united group, and I am very excited to achieve more successes and titles with this team.”

For his part, Conde stated that “I have been lucky to be in this team (USK Praha) in which I feel very well surrounded. We would have liked to go one step further in competition, but it leaves us space and margin to achieve new achievements and goals.”

Likewise, the Joventut de Badalona player, Joel Parra, won the award for the Young Player with the Greatest Projection, as did the Navarrese player Irati Etxarri, national MVP at the Cadí La Seu.

The player from La Penya has confessed that “I didn’t expect so many successes when I started the season. I only thought about growing as a player and now being in the national team is a real prize. I come here to learn as much as possible and to fight for a position”.

For Etxarri, “it has been a very nice year, that is why I have taken this award with great enthusiasm. The truth is that I did not expect it. I am a player who does not create great expectations, but it is true that I have worked a lot this season, and I have enjoyed it so much maybe for that reason, “he added.

As for the Leyenda award, two Spanish basketball legends won the title, in this case the Canarian point guard Carmelo Cabrera, who revolutionized national basketball with his style in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the Madrid forward Amaya Valdemoro, the Spanish player with the best track record in history.

“I want to thank all those who have voted for me and all those who have participated with me throughout so many years of basketball practice in my homeland, at Claret first, and then at Real Madrid, at Canarias and at the selection, of course. It has made me very excited, especially at my age, after 20 years of career and after so much time has passed since I retired”, recalled Cabrera.

Valdemoro couldn’t help but feel that “receiving a Legend award means that I’m getting older, but life is like that. I’m very happy about it. We dream of being elite athletes and I’ve been very lucky to belong to this team. This recognition is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”

In the Special Award category, the jury awarded the award to Sandra Ygueravide, who has become the first Spaniard to win number 1 in the FIBA ​​3×3 ranking, while forward Rudy Fernández came to collect the special award that raises him so much him as well as the already legendary Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro as the only basketball players to reach the top of the five Olympic Games played.

“Although it bears my name, I think it is actually a recognition of a new modality that continues to grow little by little, to which people are getting more and more hooked. It is very fun and intense, and we are going to continue fighting to have a greater impact,” explained Ygueravide.

Rudy Fernández stressed that he has “enjoyed these five Olympic Games and I hope to give a little more of myself in this Eurobasket”, as well as highlighting that “sharing this record together with Pau (Gasol) and Juan Carlos (Navarro) is an honor” .

The jury, appointed by the FEB and Marca for this third edition, was made up of both Jorge Garbajosa, the director of Marca, Juan Ignacio Gallardo, the director of the CSD cabinet -representing the president-, Juan Fernández (director of the CSD cabinet , on behalf of President José Manuel Franco), as well as Santos Moraga, Elisa Aguilar (FEB), Jesús Sánchez, Jorge Quiroga (Marca) Antonio Martín -president of the ACB-, Carmen Muguruza -representative of the Association of Women’s Clubs-, Alfonso Reyes -president of the ABP-, Lucila Pascua -president of the AJUB-, Daniel Hierrezuelo -president of the AEBA- and Joan María Gavaldà -president of the AEEB-.