Serge Ibaka talks London Olympics and chances of the Spanish Basketball Team - NBA Update
Oklahoma City Thunder big Serge Ibaka may have lost the NBA Finals, but the forward will soon have one more shot at glory at the London Olympics. The 22-year-old star, who originally hails from Congo, sworn loyalty to the Spanish
crown last year and was given the Spanish nationality.
Ibaka in his third NBA year has developed the reputation of one of the most prolific shot blockers in the game and along with his defensive acumen, the improvement in his offense have made him a lethal option in the frontcourt.
He was also the part of the Spanish squad which retained the Euro title in 2011, by beating France in the finals. Over the past years, the Spanish squad has successfully managed to develop some of the best assets in the game and
is now considered in par with the American national basketball team.
During their last meeting in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Spain and USA confronted each other in the finals and left the court with one of the most epic basketball battles seen on the international level.
The Spaniard lost by a whisker that time, but coming into the 2012 London Olympics, the Spanish roster is oozing with superstars, spearheaded by Pau Gasol. They have seasoned players like Marc Gasol, Jose Calderon, Rudy Fernandez
and Juan Carlos Navarro. These star plus Ibaka, who was voted second for the NBA’s defensive player of the year award, make Spain one of the strongest contenders for the Olympic gold.
Ibaka also believes that Spain is at a high level, but cautioned that against complacency;
“We have a lot of talented players. Our team is probably the most competitive team in the world with the USA But we need to be careful and respect every team at the same level because everyone will want to win a medal,” Ibaka warned.
“Our goal will be to fight for the gold. It will be very complicated to reach it, but we’ll give everything we can to win it.”
Ibaka also talked about the excitement of participating in his first Olympics.
“Playing in the Olympics is something incredible. I can’t wait to be there”.
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