By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Argentinian basketball is going through one of the darkest pages of its history. After not being able to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, they lost against the Bahamas to miss the opportunity of playing in next year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, being left out of Paris 2024.
One of the reasons why the Albiceleste couldn’t make it against the Caribbean team is related to the experienced NBA shooting guard Eric Gordon, who suit up alongside Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton to help the Bahamian national team in the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, played in Argentina.
In the final 82-75 victory to seal the tournament, the former Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard had 27 points with 6/7 from beyond the arc, being crucial for his team. Following this game, Argentinian legend Andres Nocioni questioned the decision by the Caribbean basketball federation.
“Now with a cold mind, I think: is it fair what the Bahamas did to nationalize a player who had already competed for the United States (even winning a World Cup) at the last moment? This signing belongs to the club league, not the national team competition. And it should be corrected”, the former Real Madrid player commented on X.
The 34-year-old future Phoenix Suns player, in fact, already played the 2010 FIBA World Cup with Team USA, helping his native country come home with the gold medal by averaging 8.6 points for the United States. Recently with the Bahamas, instead, he averaged 20.3 points scored per night.
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Ahora en frío, pienso: es justo lo que hizo Bahamas de nacionalizar a último momento a un jugador que ya había competido por Estados Unidos (incluso ganando un Mundial)? Esto de fichar a antojo se llama liga de clubes no competencia de selecciones. Y debería corregirse.
— Andrés Nocioni (@SoyElChapu) August 21, 2023
PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament