MANAGUA (Nicaragua) - There he goes, running with a smile on his face, always bringing his characteristic sense of humor and with this MVP award in his hand. Rafael Hettsheimeir was Flamengo's best player in the great final against Real Estelí and it redeemed the "Mengao" after losing the 2020 final against Quimsa.

"I'm very happy for achieving this title, we did a great job against very tough rivals. We got a title that people really wanted. We weren't able to do it last season, we were left with a bitter taste in our mouths, but we worked very hard to be the Americas' new champions," said Rafa, who arrived to the team to reinforce an ensemble the whole continent was already talking about.

Hettsheimeir was chosen as the most valuable player after an outstanding performance with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. He already knows what it is to play in the highest levels, he’s done it in Europe, even for Real Madrid in 2021. He won the gold medal with Brazil in the 2015 Pan American Games, and just last month, he won the three-pointer tournament in the NBB’s All Star Game.

"We knew it would be a difficult match, that’s why concentration was going to matter. I was confident when shooting, I felt the support from the coaches and all the players, I work daily for that. Even though we had a small advantage, we never lost focus because we were facing a very difficult rival," he explained, emotionally.

FIBA