The opening night of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia, was a cause for multiple celebrations for Latvia.
Not only did they make their debut in the World Cup, but they also secured their first-ever win in the global tournament with a convincing 109-70 victory over Lebanon in Group H.
Despite being away from home, Latvijas basketbola izlase head coach Luca Banchi was left in awe by the passionate support of Latvian basketball fans. These fans traveled over 10,000 kilometers from their home country to Indonesia, creating an incredible atmosphere in the arena and showing unwavering support for their team’s historic moment.
“One historical moment in Latvian basketball. First time ever in the World Cup and the first win ever. That’s why I told the guys to celebrate this moment and say thanks to our fans who were amazing from the very beginning when the team arrived at the arena….They created an unbelievable atmosphere on the court that made our job extremely easy. I still have goosebumps,” revealed Banchi.
“From the moment of the national anthem, from the very first basket, they created an unbelievable atmosphere. It will stay forever in my best memories.”
The Latvian presence in the stadium was strongly felt, with resounding cheers and chants for Latvijas basketbola izlase. Their joy was well-founded as the basketball team outscored Lebanon in every quarter, leading to a dominant performance.
(C) FIBA.basketball
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Dāvis Bertāns played a pivotal role off the bench, contributing 10 points and three rebounds in just 17 minutes of play. His performance added to the elation of the Latvian fans, who celebrated their team’s landmark victory in the World Cup.
“The fans were our booster. We played well. We played as a team. We played simple basketball as I liked but we played aggressively. We played together. And what the fans created, facilitated our job,” said Banchi.
“We had a booster tonight and I am happy that we’ll celebrate together in this special atmosphere, an important moment for Latvian basketball.”
And they hope that they can also bring the fans aboard for another flight to Manila in a week’s time.
