Approximate reading time: 2 minutes and 5 seconds
Guillermo Schutz
Every four years, true fans spread the Basketball World Championship on their calendars. Don’t get me wrong, football has its own FIFA Cup, but there’s a unique feeling we can experience on the pitch that captivates us more than any other sport on the planet.
The space originally reserved for football already had an extra guest.
If you don’t believe me, just remember the best team ever. Of course, many will mention football teams led by Messi, Maradona or Pele. Others will defend Real Madrid against Galacticos or Guardiola’s Barcelona.
Baseball fans will talk about the New York Yankees, while American football fans are most fond of Tom Brady or Joe Montana’s teams.
Some even boast that the New Zealand All Blacks are the best and winningest team in rugby history.
However, there is only one team that is constantly mentioned in one way or another and has undoubtedly changed the world forever by transcending sports.
The dream team from Barcelona in 1992.
As the name suggests, this team makes our dreams come true. Michael Jordan, “Magic” Earvin Johnson, Larry Bird and others left traces of sports passion in their lives and showed us the true face of basketball.
in other words…
The space originally reserved for football already had an extra guest.
What happened at the Olympics set off a ripple effect that caused other people around the planet to want to do what the Dream Team did.
In fact, the NBA, currently the best basketball league in the world, has 120 international players from 40 countries on 6 continents. That is, from almost every corner of the planet.
The 1994 Basketball World Cup in Canada was the first example. Although the United States, with Shaquille O’Neal at its core, once again shows us its power; Russia, Croatia, Australia and Puerto Rico are starting to show us a bright future.
In later editions, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Argentina, Germany, Spain, Greece, France, Lithuania and Serbia charmed us with unique and innovative games.
Basketball is having its best moment today, thanks to the figures who grew up idolizing these great teams.
Like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Domantas Sabonis, Shai… Stars like Gilgeous-Alexander or Al Horford are just a few examples.
In fact, the NBA, currently the best basketball league in the world, has 120 international players from 40 countries on 6 continents. That is, from almost every corner of the planet.
This makes the Basketball World Cup the perfect showcase for appreciating this extraordinary diversity and talent.
Just a few days ago, the 2023 World Cup came to an end in Japan/Philippines/Indonesia, with Germany defeating Serbia in a dramatic final to become champions for the first time in history.
Teams like Italy, Latvia and the Dominican Republic wowed us with great games, while Team USA showed us that name alone is no longer enough to win a championship.
There are only 32 teams competing for the world championship, but virtually every country on earth has a representative who dreams of one day replicating their “Dream Team” with them.
By the way, in case you were wondering, Mexico also qualified for the historic World Cup and then collapsed.
But that’s a topic for another day…
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