WARSAW (Poland) – There was never much left for Latvia to prove in 3x3 basketball.
Over the past decade, the Baltic powerhouse had established itself as one of the sport's standard-bearers, winning the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup in 2017, capturing the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final as Riga in 2020, and reaching the pinnacle of the sport with Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.
Yet one trophy remained missing.
Until now.
With their triumph at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2026 in Warsaw, Latvia finally completed one of the most remarkable collections of titles in 3x3 basketball history. And just as they were throughout much of that journey, Kārlis Lasmanis and Nauris Miezis were right at the heart of it.
The road to FIBA 3x3 World Cup glory was anything but straightforward. Latvia opened the tournament with a loss to the United States, but gradually found their rhythm as the week progressed.
"Throughout this tournament, I felt like we really had a good, growing flow," Lasmanis said. "We played better in every game. We built our game, better and better. In our first game against USA, their guys were better in that game, but with every game, we cut our turnovers, our mistakes. We raised our speed."
By the time the knockout rounds arrived, Latvia looked every bit like a championship team.
That growth culminated in a commanding performance in the Final against Germany, where Lasmanis poured in 12 points to help deliver the long-awaited title. But true to the team-first culture that has defined Latvia's success for years, he was quick to spread the credit.
"We have our own game style. It's easy to play when everybody knows what to do," he said. "When I see my gaps, I use them. I know there's Miezis, who will always pass me the ball. Raimo will always fight for the ball. I just need to do my job."
"12 points in the Final -- that's nice," he added. "But in my spot, there could be all of those guys. We all played great. That's how you win championships -- not by one guy but everybody doing their jobs great."
Lasmanis' performances throughout the tournament earned him MVP honors, though even that recognition could not stop him from keeping things light-hearted.
"Actually, I don't know what happened on the court," he joked. "But one thing I know for sure is that I can show this (gold medal) to Cameron Forte (his WT teammate with Shanghai) and ask him, 'Who's the real MVP now?'"
The celebrations, however, would be brief.
Latvia's stars are already preparing for the next stop on the professional circuit, a reminder that the grind never truly stops in 3x3 basketball.
"We're actually going back to Latvia tonight and then go back to China," Lasmanis said. "So I'll see you guys in Amsterdam in two weeks. No days off -- Batman never sleeps."
After years of conquering Europe, the World Tour and the Olympic Games, Latvia can finally add the World Cup to its trophy cabinet. They are the first and only men's team so far who can say that.
The collection is complete. Well, maybe the FIBA 3x3 Champions Cup is next.
FIBA