The Moroccan Pavilion during the 1992 Universal Exhibition hosted the fourth edition of the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame in Seville, organized this Thursday by the Spanish Federation and the newspaper ACE. This Hall of Fame opened its doors to 11 new members: Marc GasolMarina Ferragut, Jorge GarbajosaBetty Cebrián, Wayne Brabender, Drazen Petrovic —in memoriam— and Audie Norris as players; referee Pilar Landeira; coach Moncho Monsalve; the journalist Antoni Daimiel; and the U19 Men’s National Team, world champion of the category in 2023 in the team category.
“That we are here today is largely thanks to the work of Jorge Garbajosa,” said Elisa Aguilarpresident of the Spanish Basketball Federation, to open the gala of the most important event in Spanish basketball. A detail from the president, who had words in her initial speech to gloss the figure of each of the winners.
“At this moment I would like to remember two very important people in my career,” Gasol said. “The first is Montse Peris, my coach at school, who taught me how to compete. After, to a technician like Miguel López Abrila brutally honest person. He told me that physically I was a brunette and that I had to use my head. I will always thank him because he was right and thanks to him I was able to continue advancing,” he said after receiving his award. Little, almost nothing, remains of that kid who received the call from Pepu Hernández to join the Spanish team’s training camp in San Fernando in 2006. He ended up winning two World Cups with Spain in 2006 and 2019 (the only one with Rudy Fernández) and an NBA ring with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
“I was lucky, too, to be born into the family I was born into. And good luck with my partner to have my children. The road has been unbeatable since those fights over Pau in the patio of my grandparents’ house. It was not a dream, it was a reality,” added Marc Gasol.
“I don’t deserve this distinction. The reason for my life is basketball, but never forget the people you have by your side,” said Moncho Monsalve in an emotional speech. He is one of the most successful coaches in Spanish basketball. 24 years later, from 1999 to 2023, the Spanish under 19 team once again won a World Cup in the category. For this reason, he obtained his recognition in an event that Aleksandar Petrovic, Drazen’s brother, who was also inducted into the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame 31 years after his tragic death in a traffic accident, could not attend.
With Petrovic stranded in Munich, it was Fernando Romay who collected the award on behalf of the family of the Croatian genius. “Drazen was a geniusbut there was something I learned in the year I was with him in Madrid. Behind that genius there was a lot of work, he didn’t stop working,” said Romay himself. “It is a message for the youngest people because they worked harder than anyone else,” he said.
A total of 28 titles with Madrid adorn Wayne Brabender, the third scorer in the history of the Spanish team. “It was an honor to defend the Spain shirt,” said Brabender, helped by Marc Gasol to get up on stage due to his knee problems.
Pilar Landeira glossed her story of improvement as an international referee. Retired in 2004, she participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. “Behind this award there are many people, like the trainers who made me be the best possible referee to open a door that was unthinkable as directing matches in the ACB,” she stated.
“I played for six years at Barcelona, where I also developed as a person. Basketball has been my life,” clarified Audie Norris, who starred in legendary duels with Fernando Martín, the center of Real Madrid, during the 1980s.
Marina Ferragut, 253 times capped by Spain, Betty Cebrián, Jorge Garbajosa, and journalist Antoni Daimiel closed the list of winners. “You can’t always win. We have a good selection. “It is a very special night for me,” said Garbajosa.
