Sħãlïq™ Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Ibaka to help adopted Spain defend Euros title MADRID (AP)—Oklahoma Thunder forward Serge Ibaka(notes) says he is ready to help his adopted country Spain defend its European championship. “I have to give all my energy on the court, that’s my job,” the 21-year-old Ibaka said. “I will do everything I can to help the team.” Ibaka, a native of the Republic of Congo, played for Spanish clubs for three years before moving to the NBA in 2009. He became a Spanish national this month. He’ll join Pau Gasol(notes) and Marc Gasol(notes) in the front court of a squad packed with NBA talent. “I am excited to play with point guards Ricky (Rubio), (Jose) Calderon and (Barcelona’s Victor) Sada because they make other players better, and also share the paint with Pau, Marc and (Madrid forward) Felipe (Reyes),” Ibaka said. Spain enters the European championship, which begins on Aug. 31 in Lithuania, as the favorite to repeat. The two finalists automatically qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, while the third- through sixth-place finishers earn a spot in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-spain-ibaka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreusito Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 It's a win win situation for both. Ibaka is going to bring very solid defense to the roster, and he's going to learn a lot from his team, specially being most of them in the NBA too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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