Prigioni entered into the controversy of the American who nationalized Spain: “I don’t think he feels the shirt, I prefer to lose with our people”

Before the start of a new NBA season, the world of basketball was paralyzed by two fairly similar competitions, which at the same time have few equivalents. These are the AmeriCup and the EuroBasket, the two giants of continental basketball. On our side of the pond, the title went to Argentina. In the ‘Old Continent’ the one that took a step forward was Spain.

The truth is that the consecration of ‘La Roja’ in the EuroBasket had several peculiarities. Among these, the presence of lorenzo brown on campus led by Sergio Scariolo. Brown is originally from Georgia, United States, and currently defends Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv shirt. The American has never lived or played in Spain, but he represented her in this competition. There, the controversy exploded.

Talking about this controversy came out the coach of the Argentine national team, Paolo Prigioni. The member of the famous “Golden Generation” gave an interview to the media Basket Plus, in which he deepened the controversy of Lorenzo Brown and his nationalization to be part of the Spanish team. Prisons, he began: “I’ve always been against it. As long as I’m in the national team it won’t happen.”.

“There won’t even be a staff member from another country. When I’m not around, let the decision be made. For me the national team is the purest thing there is and we already have our own club competitions to compete with people. from all over the world. the world. And I think it’s fantastic “, added the new AmeriCup champion, hinting that his position and that of Scariolo do not go hand in hand.

“I’m not against the teams that do it, but against the rule. I’d rather lose with our people than try to win with someone who isn’t Argentine. I don’t think Lorenzo Brown feels the Spanish shirt like Llull or Rudy. That’s where the discussion ends for me. It doesn’t make sense to me. If we don’t win with ours, we will have to work harder in training and in others “, she concluded.

In any case, Prigioni has also taken care of indicating some of the keys of this Spanish team that has given the ‘blow’ in the European competition, and commented: “It is clear that there is a great work of inferiors. Do you think that these guys who won the Eurobasket has already had good results in U15, U17, U19 and suddenly they are there and they are used to it. Great merit of the youth teams and great merit of Sergio and his staff “.

Who is Lorenzo Brown?

With training at North Carolina State University, Lorenzo Brown had his first major basketball opportunity in 2013 when he was picked by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 52nd place in that year’s NBA Draft. The Georgian point guard will play 5 seasons in the best league in the world, passing through Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors. The truth is, Brown never finished earning a spot.

In its last two seasons, began to lose its place in the rotation, and began alternating appearances in the G League. Towards the 2019-2020 season, Brown and the NBA became unsustainable and the point guard moved to Europe, where he played the Euroleague with Estrella Roja. He later went through Fenerbahce and Unics Kazan, leaving excellent numbers with both jerseys.

In June of this year, Brown joined the Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv from Israel and, at the same time, had the opportunity to represent a national team. The curious thing is that The call Lorenzo received was not from the United States coach, but from Sergio Scariolo, the coach of Spain. Both had worked together in Toronto, where Brown would leave a good memory in the Italian coach.

On the morning of July 5, what had been talked about for some time was confirmed and the Spanish Basketball Federation issued a statement. The same, we read as follows: “The FEB wants to publicly thank the nationalization of the player Lorenzo Brown, agreed by the Council of Ministers after the measures taken by the Higher Sports Council”.

“Brown comes to help us get through a difficult summer due to injuries, but his role will not end there, because his incorporation responds to the strategic line of expansion of the player and the talent base we are pursuing. We are convinced that the combination of short and long term policies will allow us to raise the level of our players, “added Jorge Garbajosa, President of FEB.

Almost immediately, the Association of Professional Basketball Players came to the crossroads of this decision and the controversy was settled. The truth is that for many this determination could have opened a door that would be difficult to close soon. In the end, Brown was one of the figures of the Spanish team, and it seems that ‘La Roja’ has had Lorenzo for some time.