“The king lost his crown against brilliant Slovenia,” wrote Spanish newspaper Marca. These words sum up the very gist of the match. Slovenia has managed to storm into this historical final in an incredible way, with a glorious victory over Spain (92:72). The Spanish, who have been at the very top of the old continent three times during the past eight years, were defending their European Champion title. After 13 consecutive wins, Slovenia stopped the Spanish victory march. At the end, Pau Gasol and his team mates, in the style of all the greats, shook hands with much better Slovenes. Igor Kokoškov said: “We were better. We played really well from the opening minute. The Spanish took a brief lead in the first quarter, but the match was only just starting then. We even led by 21 points. I don’t have anything else to say. All the credit goes to the players. Not only for this year, but also for last year’s qualifications, for this year’s first training session in Zreče... Their approach was constantly the same.” Kokoškov, a top expert, leads Slovenia’s matches brilliantly. He is continuing his winning streak, remaining undefeated at official matches and he has won all 14 matches while at the helm of Slovenia.
“The players promised a medal. I did not, but I did promise to prepare the team in the best possible way and to fight like lions. The credit goes to all the players. The guys are great. Just look at our bench. I always say that we believe in each and everyone. Zagorac and Dimec did their work. Nikolić was brilliant. Blažič played phenomenally when Rubio did not know what was happening to him. Dimec was great while replacing Vidmar. Murić was not a suitable choice to face the tall Spaniards, which is why he did not play, but he did work hard throughout the summer. Čančar saved us in the match against Finland, when he played excellent defence as a high position three. Each player has his own definition and role in the team. Everyone can help the team in his own way. This is a true national team. We do not play for money, we play for the country, for the nation,” added Kokoškov. He received thunderous applause at the press conference, when he said that children would now be wearing the shirts of Goran Dragić, Luka Dončić and Gašper Vidmar. After being asked about his other players, who also put in a great performance, he read out the entire team.

Kokoškov said that every player made a contribution, regardless if he was on the court or on the bench. The top scorers with 15 points were Goran Dragić and Anthony Randolph, an American, who has repaid the trust put in him with his performance and primarily his fighting spirit. “I am very happy. I’m so happy to have decided to play for Slovenia, alongside such great basketball players. There is great chemistry between us.”

When the captain and leader of the team Dragić was on the bench, Aleksej Nikolić took over the organisation of the Slovenian attacks. Nikolić did his job perfectly, he scored seven points and was again brilliant in defence. Just like the entire Slovene national team, he thrilled with his fighting spirit when he threw himself head first under the legs of Spanish players to catch the ball: “The finals are here. We defeated the great Spain!”