The “General's” last shot

SHEFFIELD (Júlio Chitunda´s African Message) - There is nothing wrong when a performer decides to retire by leaving through the front door.

Angolan playmaker Miguel Lutonda did just that this weekend.

He could not handle the idea of hanging his boots in poor style as it happened in his last game for Angola in September 2010.

At the time, his country went down 121-66 against the USA in the Eighth-Finals of the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

However, Lutonda turned the odds around and officially called it a day this past Saturday in the Equatorial Guinean capital  city of Malabo, where his club Primeiro de Agosto won its eighth African Champions Cup (ACC).

He turns 41 on Christmas Eve.

While he didn't play in the Semi-Final nor the ACC Final, Lutonda did come off the bench on four occasions during the nine-day tournament - the highest club competition in Africa - and contributed 3.3 points per game.

In the Quarter-Final of the tournament, a 76-56 win over Abidjan Basketball Club, he got on the court for two minutes and 18 seconds during which he had two points, one assist and a rebound.

The "General", as he is affectionately known in Angolan basketball circles due to his leadership on court, had never hidden the desire to retire with a major title under his belt.

At the age of 36, he had retired from the national team following an 86-72 win over Cameroon in the Final of the 2007 Afrobasket held in Angola in front of thousands of his countrymen and women.

Then, he returned to play at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

In that tournament, Lutonda went on to average nine points per game, showing how well he felt playing for his country, at 39 years of age.

This latest ACC title is one the many Lutonda achieved during his 21-year playing career.

He was named Afrobasket MVP on two occasions (2001 and 2003), and has helped D'Agosto to five ACC titles.

Last month he told the Angolan media: "I can leave basketball with my head held high, knowing that I greatly helped clubs and the national team and saw aims achieved."

Lutonda was without a doubt one of the best point guards on the African continent, thanks to his regular presence at international tournaments.

He played at three FIBA World Championships (2002, 2006 and 2010) and two Olympics (2000 and 2004).

Nevertheless, despite his prominent status, he was left off Angola's Afrobasket squad after lifting the tournament title on five occasions since 1997 when he first played for the national team.

With this last title, a shot in fact, Lutonda fulfills a retirement wish that dates back to 2005 when he told FIBA.com that his country "had new, talented players who will safeguard Angola's basketball in the future."

While he now intends on spending more time with his family and friends - something he was unable to do for the past 20 years - as he told me five years ago, he will also be called upon to share his knowledge as D'Agosto's board seems keen to keep him coaching youth teams.

Júlio Chitunda

FIBA

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