Spanish basketball players won the European Championship for the fourth time. Coach Sergio Scariolo’s team beat France, who came in second at the Olympics, 88:76 (47:37) in the Berlin final, which crowned a strong tournament performance.
Berlin – Spanish basketball players are European champions for the fourth time. Coach Sergio Scariolo’s team beat France, who came in second at the Olympics, 88:76 (47:37) in the Berlin final, which crowned a strong tournament performance.
The best shooter of the world champion was Juancho Hernangomez, who scored 27 points in the first half and converted six three-pointers. Willy Hernangomez (14) and Lorenzo Brown (14) also contributed to the world champions’ success in front of 13,042 spectators in an arena that was not sold out.
For Spain, it was the first tournament since the era of two Gasol brothers Marc and Pau. Two playmakers Ricky Rubio and Sergio Llull were also absent from the championship matches in the Berlin final. The Iberians had previously won gold at the European Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2015. France’s only European championship is from 2013.
This time, as in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, the French only finished second. Coach Vincent Collet’s side, on the brink of elimination in the round of 16 against Turkey and in the quarter-finals against Italy, played below their potential, particularly in the first half. NBA pro Rudy Gobert (six points, six rebounds) had a weak game. France’s best passer was Evan Fournier with 23 points.