LJUBLJANA (Slovenia) - A country with genuine designs on claiming the Naismith Trophy, Slovenia, was among the latest stops on the Trophy Tour presented by J9. 

The trophy was taken to the Arena Stozice soon after its arrival, and that meant hoops fans attending the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 were able to get a close-up view.

On the second day of the Trophy Tour in Slovenia, international basketball's biggest prize was taken to some popular sites that make everyone, as the saying goes, "Feel Slovenia".

Naismith Trophy at Lake Bled 

The Trophy was taken to Lake Bled, one of Slovenia's most picturesque and popular travel destinations.

The lake is 2,120m long and 1,380m wide, and has a maximum depth of 30.6m. Nearby is Triglav National Park and other mountains in the Julian Alps and Karavanke. Lake Bled is a photographer’s paradise and a wonderful destination for anyone that loves the outdoors.

In the center of Ljubljana's Old Town and right in front of the pink Franciscan Church of the Annunciation is Prešeren Square. 

The trophy in front of the monument erected in honor of national poet France Prešeren.

Naismith Trophy being admired by visitors at Ljubljana Castle

One of the best known spots in Ljubljana is Three Bridges

Three Bridges connects the city's historic medieval town on one bank of the Ljubljana River to the modern city.  It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in August 2021.

On the final day of the Trophy Tour, Ziga Samar, who played for Slovenia at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 and was recently named in the squad for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, accompanied the Trophy to Radio Aktual, and sports newspaper Ekipa .

Samar and the trophy then went to Postojna, which is about a 45-minute drive south of Ljubljana, and youngsters there seized the opportunity to take some photos.

FIBA