Olympic Legends - An early great of Argentina

LONDON (Olympics) - Ricardo Gonzalez remembers the days when he was in Argentina's all-conquering national team.

Long before there were Olympic champions Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino, there was Gonzalez.

The 1.80m shooting guard didn't make millions of dollars or Euros like some of Argentina's stars of today, yet Gonzalez cherished every minute of his time in the game.

"One has the privilege to have been able to travel, to get to know the world," he said to FIBA.com.

"I was lucky to have played in two Olympic Games, in London (1948) and Helsinki (1952).

"With my club (Argentinians Palermo), I went all over Spain.

"We also went to Italy, we went to France. I travelled around South America, Mexico.

"It was a great experience."

In all, Gonzalez played for Argentina 50 times.

One experience ranks above all the others.

"The World Championship in 1950," he said.

That was the first time the event was staged and Gonzalez averaged 10.7 points per game in the tournament.

"Many of my teammates are still alive and we still manage to see each other.

"That was the most important."

Gonzalez had seven points as Argentina won the gold medal game against the United States, 64-50.

It was a game he will never, ever forget, with 25,000 fans cheering the team on in the Luna Park stadium in Argentina.

"There are others," Gonzalez said of his achievements.

"To have gone to the Olympics in London and to Helsinki where we finished fourth - it was also a beautiful thing."

Argentina would have clinched a medal in Helsinki if they had won their Semi-Final showdown against the United States.

Gonzalez gave them a chance by pouring in 22 points, but the Americans won, 85-76.

"In reality, we must have played 10 times against the United States," Gonzalez said.

"(Smiling) And I’m pretty sure we had more triumphs than they did."

Fans of Argentina basketball do not come any bigger than Gonzalez, who was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2009.

The player he most admires in the national team is Luis Scola, a member of the Argentina side that won gold at the Athens Olympics and this summer led the team to the top of the podium at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar del Plata.

“Luis Scola has such a will,” Gonzalez said.

“He lives basketball with such intensity that it is spectacular.

“I remember that in my time, we used to train three or four times a week.

“We would go to the club on the Saturday and on the Sunday you would play the game.

“He reminds me of that kind of player.”

Had Gonzalez been a player in the current generation, he, too, may have been a millionaire like Argentina’s superstars of today.

There is no bitterness, though.

He has only respect for the Argentina players like Ginobili and Scola because of how they use their fame to benefit others.

“The players are happy and they are good boys,” he said.

“They all do a lot for the youth. They create foundations.

“They are able to take children that are on the streets to attract them to the sport.

“But, I think that is the most fulfilling thing because money comes and goes.

“To be able to give a chance to children who have no possibilities and with their help, they can go on to realize their dreams, I find that admirable.”

FIBA