Euronews is no longer accessible on Internet Explorer. This browser is not updated by Microsoft and does not support the last technical evolutions. We encourage you to use another browser, such as Edge, Safari, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.</s>ISTANBUL — Slovenia has won its first European basketball championship, defeating Serbia 93-85 behind 35 points by Goran Dragic.

Dragic, the Miami Heat guard, had to watch the final four minutes from the bench due to cramp. He was scoreless in the final quarter.

With Dragic out, Serbia briefly took the lead at 79-78. But Klemen Prepelic put Slovenia ahead for good, 84-82, with 2:20 to go.

Dragic scored 20 of Slovenia’s 36 points in the second quarter to help give it a 56-47 halftime lead.

Serbia slowed down the pace in the third, which ended with Slovenia up 71-67. Dragic still managed to score nine points.

Earlier, Spain defeated Russia 93-85 to take third place. Pau Gasol scored 26 for Spain.</s>Slovenian players holds the trophy and celebrate after winning the Eurobasket European Basketball Championship final match against Serbia, in Istanbul, Sunday, Sept. 17. 2017. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Slovenia won its first European basketball championship on Sunday, defeating Serbia 93-85 in Istanbul behind 35 points by Goran Dragic.

Dragic, the Miami Heat guard who was voted MVP of the tournament after the game, watched the final four minutes from the bench due to cramp. He had been visibly tiring, missing all three shots and the one free throw he took in the final quarter.

With Dragic out, Serbia briefly took the lead at 79-78, and again at 82-80 with 3:37 to go. But Slovenia, which had upset pre-tournament favorite Spain 92-72 in the semifinals, refused to fold. It went on a 12-0 run, during which guard Klemen Prepelic scored the go-ahead basket, 84-82, with 2:20 to go.

After a balanced first quarter, which ended with Serbia 22-20 ahead, Dragic scored 20 of Slovenia's 36 points in the second quarter to help give it a 56-47 halftime lead.

"We gave them a lot of transition points. They brought the NBA speed on the floor," Serbia coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said.

"We are an uptempo team ... the importance of the game shouldn't change what we do," said Slovenia's Serb coach, Igor Kokoskov.

Djordjevic responded by taking out his 2.21-meter (7-foot-3) center Boban Marjanovic of the Detroit Pistons in favor of more mobile players, who managed to slow down the pace in the third quarter at the 16,000-seat Sinan Erdem arena. Dragic still managed to score nine points and Slovenia stayed ahead, 71-67, but lost young star Luka Doncic with a sprained ankle.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is set to join the Sacramento Kings next season, led Serbia with 22 points.

Kokoskov, also the assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, gave a nod to his boss — coach Quin Snyder.

"He is my dear friend, my boss. He told me 'Be prepared for the press conference and say something deep and smart.' Well, I can't say anything."

Dragic may be a nine-year NBA veteran but Kokoskov, the first European to be a full-time assistant coach in the league, has spent 17 seasons there, after a brief stint at college level. He and Dragic worked together at the Phoenix Suns for four seasons (2008-11 and 2012-13)

Earlier, Spain defeated Russia 93-85 to take third place, with 51 points coming from the Gasol brothers, Pau (26) and Marc (25). Alexey Shved led Russia with 18.</s>ISTANBUL — Slovenia has won its first European basketball championship, defeating Serbia 93-85 behind 35 points by Goran Dragic.

Dragic, the Miami Heat guard, had to watch the final four minutes from the bench due to cramp. He was scoreless in the final quarter.

With Dragic out, Serbia briefly took the lead at 79-78. But Klemen Prepelic put Slovenia ahead for good, 84-82, with 2:20 to go.

Dragic scored 20 of Slovenia's 36 points in the second quarter to help give it a 56-47 halftime lead.</s>Goran Dragić scores 35 points and is the EuroBasket MVP

Slovenia has gone all the way and has the EuroBasket gold. The country is the European basketball champion, having defeated Serbia in Istanbul with a score of 93:85.

For the first time in history, Slovenia’s basketball players have become the EuroBasket champions. In Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome, they defeated the Serbian national team with a score of 93:85, despite Luka Dončić’s injury in the 26th minute and Goran Dragić's absence in the final minutes because of cramps. However, Dragić did manage to score 35 points before he left the court.

This is the biggest success in the history of Slovenian team sports. Volleyball and handball players (only) managed to win silver at their European Championships.

Dragić saved the best for last

Slovenia has gotten payback and the entire continent is now tipping its hat to the team – most of all to the official MVP of the tournament, Goran Dragić. He played as if he were in a trance and scored 35 points in the final, a record of the tournament. In the decisive minutes, when the Serbian team came back from being 12 points behind, the tired captain was replaced by an exceptional Aleksej Nikolić. Also doing his part was Klemen Prepelič (21 points). Slovenia was spectacular in the second quarter (36:25), which gave it a halftime lead of 56:47, although its rally ended in the third quarter. Serbia took the lead with 77:78, but Prepelič responded just in time with a three-point shot, while Gašper Vidmar helped with a block. Slovenia's gold medal became likely after two free throws by Nikolić for a lead of 90:82. The final score: 93:85 and the gold for Slovenia.

Slovenian fans also played an unprecedented role in this basketball fairytale. 

For two years, the entire country lived and breathed for its basketball team. When members of the team began winning game after game, the expectations grew as well. Basketball became the number one topic of conversation at workplaces, schools, and after work. It soon morphed into a euphoria that ended up with a pilgrimage of no fewer than 7000 Slovenian fans to Istanbul, 1500 kilometers away, for the final between Slovenia and Serbia.

Slovenia has become the least populous country to win a medal at the EuroBasket Championship. But that's not all – the 7000 Slovenians in the Sinan Erdem Dome were the second largest crowd of Slovenian fans ever at a sporting competition abroad and, according to FIBA, set a EuroBasket record. The all-time Slovenian record was set at the country’s soccer game against Spain at the 2000 Euros in Amsterdam, where 10,000 Slovenians showed up. However, the crowd in Istanbul did manage to surpass Belgrade in 2005, where 5000 Slovenian basketball fans showed up to watch Slovenia take on Greece.

Slovenia's basketball fever escalated after Thursdays win over Spain, when many Slovenians decided: “I'm going to Istanbul, whatever that may cost me.” And that’s how it all began. There were far too few airline seats available for everyone who wanted to fly to Istanbul, even though the first flight for Istanbul took off from Jože Pučnik Airport before 5 a.m. By 11:15 a.m., nine planes had taken off.

Many fans wouldn’t despair even after they were left without tickets – some estimate that approximately 1000 people made the 1500-kilometer journey by car or bus.</s>Goran Dragic would not be denied at the EuroBasket final between Slovenia and Serbia on Sunday in Istanbul, scoring 35 points in Slovenia's 93-85 victory.

Klemen Prepelic (21 points, three assists) and Anthony Randolph (11 points) also came up huge for Slovenia down the stretch, while NBA prospect Luka Doncic added eight points and seven rebounds.

Mike Schmitz summed up the victory for Slovenia:

Bogdan Bogdanovic (22 points, five assists) and Milan Macvan (18 points, five rebounds) paced Serbia.

It was well-deserved. He was absolutely unstoppable in the first half, scoring 20 points in the second quarter alone and 26 points in the half. Schmitz shared some of Dragic's impressive stats from the opening frame:

According to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, Dragic's 35 points were the most ever scored by a Slovenian in the tournament.

Dragic, the lone NBA player on Slovenia's roster, was impressive throughout the team's shocking 9-0 run in the tournament, joined by prodigy Doncic, a potential top overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. FIBA shared highlights from both players in the final:

But with Doncic hurting his ankle, Slovenia had to rely on players like Randolph down the stretch to hold off Serbia's second-half push. It did just that, setting up Dragic helping Doncic off the court after the game in a memorable scene, per Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report:

There was symbolism in the moment. Dragic, in his last international game, walking off with the country's future leader in Doncic.

Slovenia's accomplishment should not be undersold. The country itself is comprised of just around two million people, and as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today noted, "26 years ago, players from Slovenia and Serbia played for Yugoslavia at 1991 Eurobasket. Today, Slovenia beat Serbia for the Eurobasket title."

And to do it, it beat Spain in the semifinals, one of the giants of European basketball that featured a roster with a slew of NBA players, including Marc and Pau Gasol and Ricky Rubio. Serbia had a greater NBA presence on its roster as well, highlighted by Bogdanovic and Boban Marjanovic.

Doncic, for certain, will be in the NBA and would appear to have a bright future ahead of him. Dragic remains a productive player for the Miami Heat. But despite that fact, Slovenia's championship run was unexpected and will remain one of the more memorable results in Eurobasket history.</s>Slovenia won its first European basketball championship on Sunday, defeating Serbia 93-85 in Istanbul behind 35 points by Goran Dragic.

Dragic, the Miami Heat guard who was voted MVP of the tournament after the game, watched the final four minutes from the bench due to cramp. He had been visibly tiring, missing all three shots and the one free throw he took in the final quarter.

With Dragic out, Serbia briefly took the lead at 79-78, and again at 82-80 with 3:37 to go. But Slovenia, which had upset pre-tournament favourite Spain 92-72 in the semifinals, refused to fold. It went on a 12-0 run, during which guard Klemen Prepelic scored the go-ahead basket, 84-82, with 2:20 to go.

After a balanced first quarter, which ended with Serbia 22-20 ahead, Dragic scored 20 of Slovenia's 36 points in the second quarter to help give it a 56-47 halftime lead.

"We gave them a lot of transition points. They brought the NBA speed on the floor," Serbia coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said.

"We are an uptempo team ... the importance of the game shouldn't change what we do," said Slovenia's Serb coach, Igor Kokoskov.

Djordjevic responded by taking out his 2.21-meter (7-foot-3) centre Boban Marjanovic of the Detroit Pistons in favour of more mobile players, who managed to slow down the pace in the third quarter at the 16,000-seat Sinan Erdem arena. Dragic still managed to score nine points and Slovenia stayed ahead, 71-67, but lost young star Luka Doncic with a sprained ankle.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is set to join the Sacramento Kings next season, led Serbia with 22 points.

Kokoskov, also the assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, gave a nod to his boss — coach Quin Snyder.

"He is my dear friend, my boss. He told me 'Be prepared for the press conference and say something deep and smart.' Well, I can't say anything."</s>LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia’s historic triumph at the European basketball championship left their coach Igor Kokoskov as the unsung hero after the Alpine country’s impressive 93-85 win over Serbia in a rip-roaring final in Istanbul.

Miami heat guard Goran Dragic, who poured in 35 points on Sunday, grabbed all the headlines after what he said was his final international game but the Slovenians have as much to thank Serb exile Kokoskov.

The 45-year-old spent a solitary year in the 1990s as a senior head coach in his country at nondescript second-tier side OKK Belgrade before building a career as an assistant at six different NBA outfits, most recently the Utah Jazz.

Overlooked by Serbia’s ruling basketball echelons, Kokoskov learnt his trade across the Atlantic and applied it with such devastating effect against his compatriots, as the Slovenians capped a magnificent tournament with a 9-0 record.

They blew away 2015 champions Spain 92-72 in the semis before overpowering Serbia and Slovenia’s popular Ekipa sports website (www.ekipa24.si) paid tribute to Kokoskov.

“Graceful and humble in victory as he’s always been, Kokoskov is a man of few words who came through with sheer hard work and deserves all the accolades as the greatest hero and creator of Slovenia's basketball success,” it said.

Having started as an assistant at the Los Angeles Clippers 2000-2003, Kokoskov spent the next five years at the Detroit Pistons before spells at the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orladno Magic.

Kokoskov took on a dual role as he transformed also-rans Georgia into a respectable side during his 2008-2015 spell at the former Soviet republic before he took over as Slovenia’s head coach last year.

Having arrived to the 24-nation Eurobasket 2017 as no more than one of many dark horses, the Slovenians romped to their first basketball podium finish as an independent nation and a first gold medal in any team sport.

Kokoskov heaped praise on his staff, the officials and players, who won the hearts of neutral fans with entertaining and free-flowing basketball instilled into the side by their American-styled coach.

“We had an incredible tournament and a memorable final which we will savor for the rest of our lives,” he told Ekipa.

“This is a fantastic achievement for Slovenian sport and the credit goes to everyone; the players the basketball association and also my assistants who did such a great job.”</s>Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic, the man they call “The Dragon,” was a man on a mission throughout the 2017 EuroBasket tournament. In what could be his final appearance in Europe’s biggest basketball tournament, Dragic saved his best performance for last as he led Slovenia to its first ever title in the European Basketball Championship, and earned MVP honors in the process.

What made Slovenia’s climb to the pinnacle of EuroBasket more impressive was the fact that Goran Dragic was the lone active NBA player they have on their roster. Dragic poured in a tournament-high 35 points to spearhead Slovenia’s 93-85 title-clinching victory over powerhouse team Serbia. Dragic also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out three assists in an all-around performance that overshadowed the loss Luka Doncic to an ankle injury.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, Dragic’s 35-point outburst was the most scored by a Slovenian player in international competitions. Throughout the EuroBasket 2017, Dragic averaged 22.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in almost 28 minutes per game. Dragic finished fourth in scoring and 13th in assists as he led Slovenia to complete the tournament unbeaten, going 9-0.

The Slovenian National Team racked up wins against France, Greece, Finland, Iceland, and Poland during the preliminary round. Dragic led the EuroBasket 2017 in scoring during the group stage games, averaging 24.4 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting from the field, 35 percent beyond the arc, and 86.7 percent from the three-point line. Dragic struggled against Ukraine in the round of 16 but bounced back with a 26-point, 8-assist performance against the Kristapps Porzingis-led Latvia in the Quarter-Finals.

The Slovenians were the underdog when they went up against Spain in the EuroBasket 2017 Semi-Final. With brothers Pau and Marc Gasol manning the middle, Spain would be a tough nut to crack for any team participating in the tournament. Both Slovenia and Spain entered the Semi-Final match with an undefeated record but it was Slovenia’s quickness that prevailed. Dragic delivered another masterful performance, scoring 15 points, handing out five assists, and grabbing seven rebounds to help Slovenia defeat the fancied Spanish team.

While Dragic had been fantastic throughout the tournament, he had plenty of help from his teammates. NBA prospect Luka Doncic, 18, showed that he can thrive under pressure and emerged as the future star of Slovenia. Former NBA journeyman Anthony Randolph was a force at both ends of the floor and could earn another shot at playing in the NBA with his terrific performances at the EuroBasket 2017. Klemen Prepelic, 24, also showed that he has what it takes to compete against the best guards in Europe.

Bleacher Report ranked Dragic’s performance in the EuroBasket 2017 Finals as the best in the tournament. Dragic scored 26 points in the first half to help the Slovenians build a comfortable lead. And while his second half wasn’t as efficient as the first half, Dragic still made his presence felt.

From being the heir-apparent to Steve Nash during their Phoenix Suns days to leading a young and resilient Miami Heat team, Goran Dragic has come a long way since being selected 45th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2008 NBA draft. He now joins the rank of EuroBasket MVPs that include future Hall of Famers the likes of Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tony Parker.

Dragic will have one week to rest before he plunges back into action, this time for his NBA ball club, the Miami Heat. The Heat will open their training camp with the traditional media day at the American Airlines Arena on September 25. Now that NBA fans have seen a glimpse of what an unleashed Dragic could to competition, and with Miami seemingly lacking backup point guards, perhaps the time for the Dragon to be fully turned loose in the NBA is ripe.

After all, success only breeds success, and there’s no higher accomplishment for a basketball player than to bring home a gold medal for his country. The MVP trophy is just an added bonus especially since Dragic already has one of those for his performance in the 2010 Stankovic Cup. The only question remaining it seems is this: will the 31-year-old Dragic have enough left in the tank to lead the Heat to the promised land? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, the Miami Heat fans should have a lot of reasons to be optimistic this season, and chief among them is Dragic’s recent play in the EuroBasket 2017 that had him in Dracarys mode.</s>ISTANBUL: Slovenia won their first European basketball title on Sunday (Sep 17) with a 93-85 victory against Serbia.

Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic, playing his last international match, led the way with 35 points as Slovenia, with just two million people, became the smallest country to lift the title since Latvia in 1935.

Dragic's points were the most in a final since Spanish star Pau Gasol's 36 in 2003 and short of Aleksandar Djordjevic's all-time record of 41.

Klemen Prepelic claimed 21 points and US-born Anthony Randolph, who only became a Slovenian citizen in June, had 11.

"We were chasing a medal for 25 years and now we have gold - it's incredible," said Prepelic.



Slovenia's victory push was almost derailed when 18-year-old Luka Doncic hobbled off with an injury with his team leading by eight points midway through the third quarter.



With the scores level with just over two minutes left, Klemen Prepelic hit a clutch shot followed by a Randolph jumper to give Slovenia the breathing space they needed



Earlier, brothers Pau and Marc Gasol scored 26 and 25 points respectively as Spain claimed their ninth European medal in the last 10 editions with a 93-85 win against Russia in the third-place match.
In basketball, Slovenia wins EuroBasket for the first time in history, beating Serbia 93–85 in the final.