The third and final day of the group stage of the Pre-Olympic tournament ended with a somewhat unexpected surprise: the Lebanese team beat Angola (70-74) and ended up ‘sneaking’ into the semi-finals, where they will face the tough Bahamas team this Saturday at the Fonteta in Valencia.
However, this milestone achieved by the Asian team could not be understood without a proper name: that of the American Omari SpellmanThe 26-year-old Cleveland, Ohio native is leading the Lebanese national team toward its dream of qualifying for its first ever Olympic Games.
The power forward was one of the key pieces of Villanova’s 2018 national championship, where he teamed up with Jalen Brunson, Don DiVincenzo y Mikal Bridgescurrently with the Knicks. After that championship, Spellman decided to enter the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks.
Spellman’s time in the NBA was more of a pain than a glory. He came into the league as a strong, mobile and versatile power forward, but he didn’t quite gel with either the Hawks or the Golden State Warriors, being sent to their respective G-League teams. In 2021, he signed with the Erie Bayhawks of the development league after being released by the Knicks, but immediately opted to embark on his adventure outside the United States. Specifically, with Anyang in South Korea.
In 2023, one of the great protagonists of this Valencia qualifier He obtained Lebanese nationality honorarily without having any roots or ties to the Asian countryand that was after months of negotiations. Spellman was already approached by the Lebanese Basketball Federation in late 2022 and, against all odds, obtained citizenship just before the 2023 World Cup. During that tournament, Lebanon did not advance beyond the group stage, but Spellman emerged as the leader of the national team averaging 15.6 points, 5 rebounds, 1.2 caps y 16.8 rating in five games. A fruitful first experience and a great international showcase.
Spellman, con 17.5 points y 8.5 rebounds In two pre-Olympic matches, he has become the leader of the team. The unexpected victory against Angola has given the team led by Miodrag Perisic the remote possibility of being in the Olympics. To dream, They will have to make history and win two games in a row: one before the Bahamasand the other before Spain (Finland).
2024-07-05 08:37:48
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