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Andres Nocioni: The one I respect the most, the one who always treated me very well, and whom I always have a special affection for, is Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant made gestures that no one would miss. He was incredibly kind to me. I don't know, coming to say hello, speaking in Spanish, when we were in Beijing in 2008 Olympics and he suddenly covered my eyes and said hello… All of that made me create a top idol who for me was Kobe Bryant.
Just moments before the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina was set to kick off, a Lakers champion revealed he is at the game. Pau Gasol posted a photo of himself and his wife, Catherine McDonnell, at the game during pregame festivities. Gasol, a native of Spain, is one of the many celebrities and former top athletes of the world watching the biggest soccer match of the year between Spain and Argentina. Gasol is an avid soccer fan and has been a huge FC Barcelona fan. He has long admired Lionel Messi and has called him a “special player.”
Manu Ginobili: Congratulations Spain! Well-deserved world champion. Epic championship from Argentina! Thanks guys for everything! You're huge. Let's celebrate them as they deserve!!
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According to local police, the two Chilean citizens were part of a crime ring that targeted the homes of prominent athletes in the U.S. and Argentina, including NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and former tennis player Juan Martín Del Potro. Targets also included the homes of NBA players Luka Doncic and Mike Conley Jr.
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Pau Gasol: I called Andres ’Chapu’ Nocioni before he signed with the Bulls as a free agent. I called him because we also had that option and that level of contract to bring him to Memphis, and of course, Chapu was surprised by my call. He said, ‘But I thought that you didn't like me, that whenever we've played against Argentina, well, of course, with that competitiveness and all…’ And I said, ‘No, I compete against you, against whoever, right? And against Argentina we've had many, many tough battles and all that, but I'd love to have you as a teammate because I really appreciate what you bring to the table, how you play, and you'd be a great addition.’ Well, he ended up signing with Chicago, so the call didn't work out; it wasn't convincing enough.
The 2004 Argentina squad was the peak of that country’s golden basketball generation. Led by Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola and Sanchez, they were the first team to beat Team USA in international play two years earlier at the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis. That was brushed aside as a lesser tournament. But beating USA in the Olympics was a historic moment, for both Argentina and international basketball. Pepe Sanchez, who played collegiately for John Chaney at Temple and briefly in the NBA, is frustrated that it seems to be forgotten. “Just because we are a small-population country, I guess we are being overlooked,” he said. “If we were Americans, we would be in the Hall of Fame.” Symbolically, Argentina winning gold in 2004 was a basketball parallel to the Miracle on Ice in 1980 without the same geopolitical undercurrent.
Argentina did, and the result was a gold medal. But the impact stretched well beyond the South American country’s borders. It spurred further development around the world, including the United States. “They called them the Redeem Team. What were they redeeming themselves from?” Sanchez asked rhetorically. Hall of Famer Larry Brown, the USA coach in 2004 agreed with Sanchez. “Basketball has been getting better around the world because of what the Dream Team did in ’92,” Brown said after the tournament. “Rather than knocking our guys, we should give credit to the guys who won.”
For the first time in 16 years and the fifth time in their history, Brazil won the continental championship of America, prevailing 55-47 over Argentina in Managua, Nicaragua. Point guard Yago Santos capped a brilliant individual tournament, leading Brazil with 14 points and 5 assists, as the team of Croatian head coach Aleksandar Petrovic won the event for the first time since 2009. Alongside their five championship trophies, the Verdeamarela also boasts three silver medals and four bronze.
