Spanish basketball came together again in its second annual gala, after the suspension of the previous year due to the coronavirus pandemic, to pay tribute to Lolo sainz with the legend award, to Pau Gasoline and Laia Palau with two special awards, in addition to the best players of the season.
Xabi López-Arostegui as Best National Player, Cristina
Ouviña as Best National Player, Sergio
Rodriguez as Best National Player in International Competition, Sunrise
Torrens as Best National Player in International Competition, Usman
Garuba as a Young Player with the Greater Projection and Raquel Carrera as a Young Player with the Greater Projection, completed the awards of this gala organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB).
The awards were delivered in Madrid, in an act that was attended by the Secretary of State for Sports, José Manuel Frank, the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro White, the president of the ACB, Antonio
Martin, the sponsors of the FEB and the newspaper ‘Marca’, co-organizer of the gala.
The president of the FEB, Jorge
Garbajosa, emphasized that the objective of these awards is “to unite all Spanish basketball.” “Last year we suspended, and this year that there have been competitions throughout the country we could not allow ourselves to have a blank year,” he said, thanking the presence of the full squads of the men’s and women’s senior teams at the event.
Among the most emotional moments of the night was the collection of the Legend Award by Lolo Sainz, who assured that despite having trained “great teams” such as Real
Madrid and the Joventut from Badalona, his best memory is having directed the Spanish team.
It was also exciting to see Pau
Gasoline Y Laia
Palau, the two oldest players of the national teams that will compete in Tokyo for revalidating their Rio medals, united on stage.
“We are not the best of friends, but we respect each other because what defines us is commitment and enthusiasm, and we are here for that, our colleagues can say, this is our home, we want to return every summer, we ask ourselves as young people, that we want to share it with everyone … It is what we share, “said the captain of the national team, Laia
Palau.
For its part, Pau
Gasoline considered that during these summers with the selection not only titles are taken, but “months of commitment, effort, work, and being very comfortable.”
“Everyone, also staff, physios … dedicates this part of their summer to be here and fight and work to achieve special goals. We have achieved many and hopefully we can achieve others in Tokyo,” he added Gasoline.