TARBES (France) - The epitome of an ultimate warrior on the court, Endy Miyem has called time her amazing career and revealed the extent and depth of love she still feels for her time spent wearing a national team jersey.
Spanning almost two decades, the veteran has been reflecting her exploits on the FIBA international stage with France and explained how balling in her nation's colors has helped her maintain her passion for the game.
"It was really important," she told basketeurope.com
"I talked about it with some of my teammates who said, 'It’s crazy that you’ve played until 36—almost 37 now. I don’t think I could have done that.' And I told them that playing that long wasn’t necessarily the plan, but what kept me going was the French national team.
When I was playing abroad, coming back to the French team was my breath of fresh air
"It’s something special. It’s even bigger than club basketball. You’re representing your country, wearing the 'France' jersey on your back, and you live through incredible emotions and experiences. You feel like you want to raise your country’s flag as high as possible." She continued: "That’s what kept me going every time. When I was playing abroad, coming back to the French team was my breath of fresh air. It was kind of the carrot that kept me going: 'Even when things are tough, don’t worry—there’s still the national team.'
"Everything I did was because of Les Bleues. I don’t want to diminish the moments I had with clubs, but I really think that if I hadn’t had the national team, or if it had ended earlier, I probably wouldn’t have played as long." Having excelled at junior level, Miyem's first major tournament was the FIBA Women's EuroBasket in 2009 and she walked away with gold. To this day it remains the last time that France secured the coveted silverware.
A few years later and with a FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup appearance under her belt as well, she helped France to secure their joint-best finish at the Olympic Games. Miyem and her colleagues made history with a first Final appearance and a silver medal sat London 2012. She said: "It was incredible to qualify for the Olympics. We were like kids. It was pure joy to be in London, at the Games, seeing people like Usain Bolt and all the global sports stars. That’s what stood out at first. "I also remember that after a friendly match against England where we played terribly, Pierre Vincent brought us back down to earth. He showed us the tournament bracket and told us the field was pretty open. We didn’t necessarily believe it at the time. But then we started winning games in this amazing atmosphere—close games, packed arenas. "It all combined to create this feeling like we were living a dream, like we were at Disneyland. And as for our run in the tournament, we really pulled through. We had some crazy games. But we were driven by something—a kind of energy and carefree spirit—that made that journey my best memory with the French national team."
Meanwhile Miyem could end up with a fairytale finish to her career as she steps out for the last time for Tarbes as the underdogs try to upset Basket Landes in the deciding game of the French Championship Finals. But whatever happens in her last club game, nothing will give her more pleasure than reflecting on the powerful emotions and memories evoked from a stellar 20 years representing France.
FIBA