Carlos Cabezas: ''The 1999 Youth World Cup changed my life''

MALAGA (Spain) - It happened nearly a quarter of a century ago, when Carlos Cabezas (pictured above from FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006) buried a 3-pointer that helped Spain beat the USA in the 1999 FIBA Junior World Championship Final in Portugal.

Yet Cabezas remembers the dagger, which gave Spain an 89-83 lead with 45 seconds remaining, as if it happened yesterday. That shot, and the tournament as a whole, was a defining moment for him, his teammates and Spanish basketball.

"The '99 World Cup changed my life," said Cabezas, who is in Malaga for Thursday's FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup draw, "but it was a continuation in 2006 in which we ratified what we had achieved as juniors a few years earlier. Those two events represent the maximum of my sports career above any experience in clubs."

Indeed, seven years later and Cabezas, along with his 1999 teammates Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Berni Rodriguez and Felipe Reyes, marched to the title at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Japan.

Cabezas (right) and Jose Calderon celebrated after winning the 2006 World Cup in Japan

Cabezas remembers the psychological boost received by winning in Portugal.

"It marked the change from being a kid to a professional," he said. "It gave me the confidence to dedicate myself to basketball for the rest of my life. But it was for me and for Navarro, Pau, Berni, German (Gabriel) … many players.

"That World Cup opened a door for us to reach professionalism and we took advantage of the opportunity because many of us completed careers of more than 20 years in great leagues."

Cabezas was also in the first Spain team to win a FIBA EuroBasket, in 2009.

As he reflects on the brilliant time of Portugal, and the years that followed, his words should resonate with all of the players that will be at the U17 World Cup, which tips off on July 2 and will be staged in the Andalusian cities of Marbella, Alhaurín de la Torre and Malaga. To play at the event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should be seized with both hands.

"It's the possibility of measuring yourself against the best in the world and also playing with your friends," he said.

FIBA