San Juan, Jun 10 (EFE).- Basketball player José Juan Barea announced this Friday his retirement from the Puerto Rican national team after a 16-year career, a “difficult” decision but with which he said he felt “calm.”
The farewell of Barea, 37, was intuited after his name did not appear yesterday included in the list of 24 players summoned for the third qualifying window for the FIBA World Cup 2023.
The former NBA player with the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves confirmed his decision at a press conference accompanied by his family and the president of the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation, Yum Ramos, and the leader of the national team Nelson Colon.
He also announced that he will retire at a professional level once the current season ends with the Cangrejeros de Santurce in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) of the island.
“It’s a difficult day,” said Barea, who recalled how “important” it has been for him to wear the national team and his “love” for the national team.
“I’m not going to lie, making this decision has not been easy. But I made it in the last few days and I feel comfortable. I finally feel calm,” he added.
Barea made his debut with the senior team in 2006 at the Central American and Caribbean Games, a tournament in which he became the leader of the team by scoring a triple that gave the Puerto Ricans the gold medal.
During this time, he was the main point guard of the national team, along with former captain and now general manager of the national team, Carlos Arroyo. EFE
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