- All of the Spanish basketball teams were represented during the ceremony held at Endesa's headquarters in Madrid, which have starred in the best year of Spanish basketball in history
- Rudy Fernández, captain of #LaFamilia, was one of the stars of the event, along with Lucas Langarita and Ariadna Termis, World Runners-up with the U17; Begoña de Santiago, European Champion with the U20; or Joaquín Prado, coach of U20, European Champions. All of them were accompanied by Jorge Garbajosa, President of the Spanish Basketball Federation, and José Bogas, CEO of Endesa.
- Endesa has been supporting Spanish basketball for more than a decade, with a firm commitment to the men's and women's national teams.
Endesa's headquarters in Madrid hosted a touching tribute to the 5x5 basketball teams in a 2022 for history. The event was attended by Jorge Garbajosa, President of the Spanish Basketball Federation, and José Bogas, CEO of Endesa. It was headed by Rudy Fernández, captain of #LaFamilia, with key players of each of the nine National Teams that won a medal in their respective championships this past summer. A record-breaking year celebrated in a well-deserved tribute.
José Bogas, CEO of Endesa, said that for Endesa "basketball is much more than what happens on the court. We like to look at the tools it gives people and that are very necessary on a day-to-day basis. Our National Teams are an easy bet. Beyond the actual competition, the way in which not only the players work together, but also the entire family of Spanish basketball, is incredible".
"The values of team effort and responsibility were reflected during the last EuroBasket championship, which are then transmitted across all training categories", stated Bogas.
Jorge Garbajosa, President of the FEB, stressed that "it is always, a pleasure to accompany Endesa at their headquarters, we are very grateful for the event organised by Endesa, and for its affection and admiration towards the players and all the teams. What our national teams have achieved this summer is quite a feat. Winning a medal in all the tournaments will go into the history books. Playing in the National Team is a reward and something for which all players are proud of, but it also entails great responsibility and sacrifice. And these teams have managed to achieve the results in the best of ways. What's most important is the legacy: not being afraid of anything and knowing how to compete as a team".
"Finishing the year as the leader of the FIBA World Ranking is not a title, but this is something very special for us. This is like winning a medal for us", Garbajosa concluded.
Rudy Fernández: "I am very fortunate to be able to experience this"
An unprecedented milestone followed by winning the gold medal in the final round of the EuroBasket 2022 held in Berlin as the icing on the cake. Rudy Fernández was the team captain and won his fourth European Championship: "I would like to congratulate everyone for what we have achieved this summer. I am so fortunate to be able to live these experiences, but the last EuroBasket championship was very special for me. During the pre-game meetings, we saw that the training categories conveyed the values that we try to enforce every summer. The secret of this team is to believe in the people standing next to us. We lived and acted like a family. You can lose, but above all, we have to enjoy what we do. And we enjoyed every single day this summer".
Begoña de Santiago, European champion with the U20, attended the event on behalf of women's basketball training, and mentioned that "the team was made of great people. It was like playing with my family. We were friends with and trusted each other". Ariadna Termis, runner-up of Europe with the U18 and runner-up of the World with the U17, mentioned that "playing with your friends in the National Team makes everything much more enjoyable. We are a team with a lot of talent and character. The National Teams set the example for us". Iyana Martín, silver medallist and included in the Best Quintet of the U17 World Championship and runner-up of Europe with the U16, mentioned that "receiving your family's support is vital". Carla Osma was a team mate of Martín in the European U16: "We were the last to compete, so we saw all the teams qualifying for the finals. But this did not put pressure on us, it motivated us".
Joaquín Prado, Coach of the U20 National Team, stressed that "becoming the European champions is amazing, but seeing how new players join the National Team every year is better than winning a gold medal". Javi Cabrerizo, spokesman of the U18 that won the European championship, stressed that "the goal is to make everyone in such a great team feel that the team is like their family. This is the key to success". Lucas Langarita, included in the Ideal Quintet of the U17 World Cup held in Andalusia, has acknowledged that "playing at home is a plus. What we experienced in the final in Carpena was amazing. Something amazing. We are more than just a team, we are friends and we say everything to each other's faces". To sum up, Felipe Díaz, runner-up of Europe with the U16, has revealed that "we used our spare time to watch the matches of the Men's team at EuroBasket. I am so proud of winning a silver medal for the Spanish national team".
About Endesa
Endesa is the leading electricity company in Spain and the second in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It develops an integrated business of generation, distribution and commercialization, and also offers, through Endesa X, value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDG and, as such, it strongly promotes the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitization of networks through e-distribution, and Corporate Social Responsibility. In this last area we also act from the Fundación Endesa. Our human team totals around 9,260 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.