Latvian Basketball Player’s Journey: Playing for the National Team, Recovery Process, and NBA Connections

Of course, I have nothing else to do and like to play basketball. As I always say, I enjoy playing basketball in the national team the most. As soon as there will be an opportunity and my health will allow it, I will definitely put on the national team shirt in the summer and go to the field to fight for Latvia.

How did you work individually in the World Cup? Besides the medical staff of the Latvian national team, who else supervised your lessons?

I didn’t do much, but gradually increased the intensity of the jumps and runs. That foot has to be “built up” little by little. There were days when I also shot over the bar, because I felt very good and thought that maybe there was a chance to somehow put me in the team, but at the same time I tried to understand that you have to look at it all in the long term, and not rush somewhere now. I spent my days in the gym and on the basketball court. I tried to be with the team and do my recovery process in parallel. From the physiotherapists, Ivars Iksten supervised me, but on the field we worked with Zhanni Peinera. In principle, everyone here already looked after me and helped me as much as they could.

Carmelo Anthony, who helped you get into the NBA, as well as Dirk Nowitzki, who you were with in the Dallas organization, were also in the finals. Did you get to meet them?

We didn’t get to meet, but on Friday I saw that they had also come to the semi-finals. It is nice that they have come to the Philippines. Carmelo is now also the official ambassador of the World Cup. Every year, basketball becomes more global and the game progresses.

2023-09-12 21:05:21
#Porzingis #injury #missed #tournament #Žagars #perspective