Beijing (AFP)

The Spaniard Marc Gasol will try to sign a fabulous double by winning the World Basketball Championship against Argentina on Sunday (14:00 CET) in the final in Beijing, three months after winning the NBA title with the Toronto Raptors.

Only one player has already achieved this feat, Lamar Odom, winner of the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers in June 2010 and the World Cup with the United States in September.

This would be the second world gold medal of the Catalan pivot after 2006. Gasol is one of only two of the current group, with Rudy Fernandez, to have participated in the campaign thirteen years ago. Japan.

"Spend the summer with the national team is not easy, especially when you have the chance to go far in the championship, but it's really worth it, and not just because we are in the final", said the player, whose priority, at age 34, is to "pass" the relay to the next generation.

- 33 points in the semifinals -

In the absence of his older brother Pau, 39, the best player in the history of the Iberian selection, whose season was marred by a foot injury and an operation, Marc Gasol takes the lead role in China.

Relatively unobtrusive until the semifinals, the giant (2.15 m) took the big game in the miraculous victory over Australia after two extra time (95-88). He was the one who brought Spain back into the game by scoring 11 points in the last quarter and he also made it pass for the first time for almost 30 minutes on two free throws to ... 8 seconds from the end of regulation time. He added 11 points during overtime (33 in total), including several three-point baskets that pushed down the "Boomers".

"It does not surprise me that he may not have done a very brilliant World Cup so far from a statistical point of view, but he was present in defense and was the leader of the group. (Friday), he put the shots, "commented the leader Ricky Rubio, the other great craftsman of Spanish success.

Marc Gasol had a blessed season. This winter, it was an exchange between his former franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Toronto Raptors (against Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas), just in time to contribute to the epic of the Canadian team towards his first title.

- More far from Pau -

On this occasion, the Gasol became the first siblings to conquer the famous ring, the most coveted basketball trophy, which Pau had won twice with the Lakers (2009, 2010).

Marc is not very far from his eldest in the legend of the Spanish "baloncesto" with his eleven seasons in the NBA, his three selections at the All Star Game (they were also the only brothers to participate at the same time in 2015) and his superb international record (world champion, twice European champions, twice runner-up).

Perhaps with a second world title on Sunday, the coach Sergio Scariolo will no longer make the little blunder that made everyone smile at the post-match press conference on Friday. Referring to the many absences on his team, the Italian said: "Without Sergio Rodriguez, without Nikola Mirotic, without Gasol, I mean without Pau, our leaders have had to raise the tone". Sitting next to the coach, Marc, who is very close to his brother, took the slip with good humor.

© 2019 AFP