To really put this global phenomenon in perspective, we must not forget that it took 49 years after its invention in Dr. Naismith's gym class for the game of basketball to become a U.S. profession in 1937. Granted, the basketball culture isnt at the same level of ftbol culture in Latin America, but the gap is closing and every year more fans and players keep adding to it. ThoughtCo. Latino Basketball Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have a basketball team. He was born in America but had Spanish parents who grew up in Latin America. But what do the basketball cultures look like where these Latin American players come from? For the 201819 season, the Spanish basketball league system is as follows: Like in football, several Autonomous Communities have their own autonomous team. Basketball also has to compete with baseball in Central American countries like El Salvador, Nicaragua and Cuba, as well as volleyball in South America, most notably in Brazil and Argentina, where the volleyball is at its best. The . It's a lot of fun, and I bet you'll see why they've closed the gap with Team USA to a tiny fraction of what it once was. Besides having a strong domestic league, throughout the years, many French players have made it to the NBA does the former NBA star Tony Parker sounds familiar? Thats exactly what has happened with basketball in Spanish, an explosion of interest for the game and of young people playing it. The purpose now is to shed light on the feats of those who might not have enjoyed the mainstream spotlight in the U.S. but have nevertheless made important contributions to their sports and countries. For their part, the Spanish team had some pretty good ballplayers, too: Ricky, Rudy, Jose Calderon (who was out for the gold medal game), Juan Carlos Navarro, and, as they call them in Spain, los. The countries in this list are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay. Spains own golden generation produced big-name players like Shaquille ONeals sidekick, Paul Gasol, for years, and several trophies including World Championship and Olympic silver medals. Sign up for a free class with one of our native Spanish-speaking teachers and talk about basketball in Spanish! However, in countries like Brazil and Argentina with first world basketball infrastructure, these natural tendencies are harnessed and seem to create a penchant for players with higher basketball IQs, and general understanding of teamwork. . Either way, across the United States, Nen and Ginobili are household names from a region that is changing the game rapidly before our eyes. In addition to Spanish, there are 36 recognised indigenous languages in Bolivia. In this way, the culture is very similar to that in the United States. Greece The turning point for basketball in Greece was when, in 1987, the men's national team won, for the first time, the EuroBasket Championship. The popularity of basketball is overshadowed by sports like soccer and handball. Bolivia's most widely spoken language is Spanish. FIBA Men's National Team Competition System, FIBA Women's National Team Competition System. Download source here Students play 8 "rounds" of basketball. Hispanic Hispanic players currently playing in the NBA Santi Aldama Memphis Grizzlies 22 2.11/ 6'11'' PF 22-23: 9.5pt 4.7rb 1.2as Chris Duarte Indiana Pacers 25 1.98/ 6'6'' SG 22-23: 7.9pt 2.4rb 1.4as Usman Garuba Houston Rockets 20 2.03/ 6'8'' C 22-23: 3.2pt 4.5rb 0.9as J. Hernangmez Toronto Raptors 27 2.06/ 6'9'' PF 22-23: 3.0pt 2.9rb 0.5as (soccer) see themselves as outsiders and find refuge in basketball. All Rights Reserved. The beauty of sports is how they unite people, transcend borders, and generate emotions (and money) all over the world. bal. ) Now that you know some basketball terms in Spanish, perhaps you want to try them in a real conversation! Several well-known Argentinian players have made it to the NBA, especially Manu Ginobili who won the NBA Championship in four occasions. Currently, over 10% of the population of the United States is Hispanic. The sport saw a bunch of popularity in the 80s and 90s, but during the beginning of the century, that popularity suffered a substantial decline. The Latino influence on U.S. basketball only came to the attention of the general basketball public in 2003 when Argentinean Manu Ginobili and Brazilian Nen both scored double digits in points per game for the year, solidifying them as impact players at the highest level of play. More than 32 million people speak Venezuelan Spanish, although wide-reaching words have been adopted from indigenous languages. Copyright FIBA All rights reserved. Are you kidding me? Spanish - countries Match up. Spanish rule ended in 1898; until then, Spanish was the lingua franca of the country. Although basketball isnt the top sport in Russia, there is still a massive fanbase around it. The language exposes communal and lingual standards to make a pattern of understanding each other norms and senses. English is just behind Spanish, with approximately 360 million native speakers. Only Jamaica ranked higher in recent years. It was crazy, and by the end of the gameTeam USA's lead had basically disappeared. Especially because of their NBA star, Pau Gasol, who is, arguably, one of the best ambassadors of Spanish basketball. From nbadraft.net NBA PLAYERS SPEAKING SPANISH. If this sounds like a typical description of European style basketball, it's only logical to look at the popularity of futbl there as well. With more media coverage, as well as the signing of Brazilian players to the NBA, it is expected that the popularity of basketball will be boosted even further. I've seen respected veterans get short-changed on playing time, but not say a word about it, and I've seen guys stand up on the bench and scream support for a teammate who was taking his minutes. Basketball Courts. Basketball in Spanish-speaking countries is very popular, with a huge fan base and some of the best players in the world. The two most successful teams are the Olimpia Milano and the Virtus Bologna. Even coaches who work with young players need to be knowledgeable and dedicated enough to get certification, and I think that helps, because players obviously benefit from experienced instruction. Lord knows I do. The physical fundamentals are vital (duh) but so are the social ones. The growth of basketball throughout the region is somewhat unexpected. Although not among the top sports in the country, basketball is, indeed, followed and played by many French people. He played only a few more seasons due to a career ending injury, but before retiring, he collected a championship ring with Magic Johnson and the "showtime" Lakers. The rules of the Spanish leagues also help their domestic players develop. The largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, referring to population size, is Mexico with over 118 million people (2013). Besides that, the nation also supplies the NBA and various European basketball leagues with a bunch of fantastic players. The popularity and unique translation of basketball in these countries is just now beginning to dramatically affect in the NBA. However, not only is the sport itself responsible for the increase in popularity. Basketball also has to compete with baseball in Central American countries like El Salvador, Nicaragua and Cuba, as well as volleyball in South America, most notably in Brazil and Argentina, where the volleyball is at its best. It continues to be dominated by the United States, however, so it shouldn't be surprising that much of the Spanish-language vocabulary of the game comes from English. Basketball "We believed in ourselves" - Puerto Rico has the World Cup qualification in its hands after beating Brazil (The following article first appeared in ENDI.com, one of Puerto Rico's Spanish daily newspaper. The articles and information on this website should not be reproduced, distributed, or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Sportsver. The top Spanish League, Liga ACB, is a member of ULEB, and the top Spanish League teams can compete in Europe, most notably in the Euroleague and Eurocup, and also under the FIBA Europe umbrella, in the FIBA Europe Cup. From Belize to Colombia, Uruguay to the well-established basketball countries of Argentina and Brazil, you can see a progression of basketball infrastructure. : +41 22 545 00 99Mail: info@fiba.basketball. These days, you can find a basketball court in most parks and schools in the region. The sport receives a lot of support from the public, as well as private sectors. Videos Spanish Speaking Countries Song & display (2. Top 10 Latino NBA Players. So, as someone with experience playing in Spain, was I amazed that the Spaniards pushedTeam USAto the brink? Famous Spanish Sportspersons This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. Evolution of the Spanish basketball league system, European Basketball Championship for Small Countries, http://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/dam/jcr:dc406096-a312-4b9d-bd73-2830d0affb2d/anuario-de-estadisticas-deportivas-2019.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Basketball_in_Spain&oldid=1077018792, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Pages using infobox sport overview with unknown parameters, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 March 2022, at 04:48. Atlas Learn more about the world with our collection of regional and country maps. The only binder I had at that age was the unfortunate neon-green Trapper Keeper my mom bought me for high school, but for these young ballplayers in Spain, their progress and development is carefully monitored as the years go on. Nova Scotia, Southern Alberta, and Southern Ontario are parts of Canada where the popularity is the highest, which is, also where most college and high school teams are from. Empirical evidence would support this. Spain had talent on that team, no doubt, but nothing close to the absurd collection of NBA stars that wore the red, white and blue. Pau Gasol is the best player on one of the better NBA teams in 2010-11. They are big basketball fans, especially of the American Basketball League and all of its stars. Fans follow their favorite teams on TV or via the internet, which has also played a big role in the expansion of the game. Spanish as a Former Official Language. The basketball cultures of these Latin American countries display obvious categorical differences among them. S2 Spanish - Countries - Los Pases Match up. By Naismith's death in 1939, his original 13 rules of the game had been translated into 50 languages. of Argentinian basketball players that won the gold medal at the Olympic Games of Athens 2004, also played a big role in Latin Americas current love for basketball. On the surface, this may seem like an idealistic portrayal of the game of basketball, but I can only speak about what I've observed. Although not as popular as soccer or volleyball, basketball is, indeed, a sport many Brazilians love to watch and play. The most successful team in the league, without a doubt, is the Panathinaikos. Spanish remained an official language of government until 1973. Below is the list of the Most Popular Sports in the Spanish Speaking Countries. Although the wins and losses did not always work in his favor, he was consistently one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. These cards are now available as slides you can edit for your students or kids' use! Volleyball is a sport that is popular in many Spanish-speaking countries. With LeBron James out with an injury, the Lakers need Anthony Davis to play at his peak if they want to save their season. She is an actress and producer, known for Maria Full of Grace (2004), A Most Violent Year (2014) and The Bridge (2013). Your email address will not be published. Spanish Speaking countries play baseball, basketball, soccer or ftbol, tennis, handball, rugby, polo, water sports, golf, cricket, and they do cycling, surfing, rowing, swimming, jai alai, racing, skiing, gymnastics, and pretty much any sport or activity you can think of, plus a few more. The United States is actually the country where basketball originated. While I've never played in Greece, I spent three seasons in Spain, so I have an understanding of their basketball culture. Although, as mentioned before, basketball was invented in the United States, the creator of the sport, James Naismith, was actually Canadian. Lucha de Toro (Bull Fighting): Being a national game of Spain, this game retrieves the cultural heritage of Spanish countries. Click here for a video preview of Basketball Review Games!Activity Information:Almost no prep! intransitive verb phrase. 11. I was in heaven at this point, rooting for my country but definitely relishing the unbelievable circumstances of a down-to-the-wire gold medal game. If you want to say your favorite sports phrase in Spanish, try saying "Mi deporte favorito es deporte" or "El deporte que ms me gusta es el/la deporte.". Russia is also home to some NBA stars, like 2016 NBA Champions Timofey Mozgov and Sasha Kaun; as well as what is regarded as one of the best European basketball teams, PBC CSKA Moscow. If you look at the statistics in Spain's top league, the ACB, you'll see that on many teams, there are nine or 10 guys who each play around 20 minutes a game. In the 2021-22 season, 107 players from 39 countries were on NBA rosters. The vocabulary below represents some of the most common terms used by Spanish speakers, but it shouldn't be considered complete. Anthony Davis unwinnable fight to save the Lakers season. Sports has changed Spain especially. FIFA ranking of women's national soccer teams in Latin America and the Caribbean as of December 2022. There would regularly be a whole team of players working with one coach. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. The newest generation of Latino players has made the greatest impact on our game, most significantly in these 2004 Olympics, when Puerto Rico and Argentina both beat a United States team lead by Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson. Here are five facts you can use in your Spanish speaking countries and cities lesson plans: The Americas are home to 20 out of the 22 Spanish speaking countries. Over 67% of the population speaks Spanish. Granted, it may not be molecular biology, but based on my experiences as someone who has lived the Spanish culture of basketball for many years, I have some ideas as to what it may be. The foreign players who fill today's NBA rosters bring a persona from their home cultures influenced by attitudes and values of their national psyche. Vitality Extracts Review All You Need to Know About it, Silence Complete Review-by author Lloyd Greenfield, Fungus Clean (by Alliance Naturals) Review, Herpes Blitz Protocol Review: Time to End your Embarrassment, Back to Life-Erase My Back Pain Review: Say Goodbye to your Back Pain for Good. Mexican American culture is robust and full of history, with a focus on family. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The system they've developed certainly doesn't guarantee success for every young basketball player in Spain, but it seems like it does a pretty good job of trying to maximize the possibilities. After his playing career was over, Lee returned to his native country and became one of the most respected head coaches in the National Superior Basketball League, a summer league that has employed coaching legends such as Red Holtzman, Tex Winter, K.C. The object of the game is to hit the ball over the net and into the other team's court. The principal official language of Bolivia, however, is Spanish, which was brought to . The Spanish vocabulary for the sport developed somewhat independently in various regions, so terms can vary not only between Spain and Latin America, but also between neighboring countries. He has written for Fodors, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America. The Hispanic population has a lot many athletes who are champions in their respective teams and received several medals and awards. The top Spanish League, Liga ACB, is a member of ULEB, and the top Spanish League teams can compete in Europe, most notably in the Euroleague and Eurocup, and also under the FIBA Europe umbrella, in the FIBA Europe Cup. Basketball is the second most popular sport in Spain, directly behind association football. Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. I don't think it's a coincidence that the national teams of both Spain and Greece have thrived, and their players are among some of the best that Europe has to offer. America is beginning to respect and learn about basketball in other countries, and this changing landscape is creating a melting pot of basketball knowledge and talent in the NBA. On many occasions, they have achieved the top places in the EuroBasket Championship, the Olympic Games, as well as in the FIBA World Cup. 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