Issue date: 02 Oct, 2006

CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO DE BALONCESTO 2006

CONSULT RATES

CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO DE BALONCESTO 2006

HISTORY

Correos devotes a souvenir sheet to the Spanish Basketball National Team, in acknowledgement to them winning the 2006 World Championship in Japan. The souvenir sheet depicts a photograph featuring the basketball team players with their coach José Vicente Pepu. The stamp, with a face value 0,29 €, depicts basketball scenes.

The XV World Basketball Championship took place in Japan from the 19th of August to the 3rd September, with 56 teams and 24 national teams in the final round. Our country beat Greece, up till then the current World Champion, in the final match. Spain has reached the highest position in the history of Spanish basketball. Our national team has won the gold medal after beating Serbia (2002 World Champion), Lithuania (European Champion 2003), Argentina (2004 Olympic Champion) and Greece (2005 European Champion). In this XV edition of the World Championship, Spain won the gold medal, Greece the silver and the USA the bronze. The National Team was made up of the following players: Jose Manuel Calderón, Carlos Cabezas and Sergio Rodriguez (point guards); Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernandez and Berni Rodriguez (guards); Carlos Jimenez and Alex Mumbrú (forwards); and Pau Gasol, Felipe Reyes, Marc Gasol and Jorge Garbajosa (centres). The members of our National Team, after winning the 2006 World Championship have been awarded the prestigious Principe de Asturias de los Deportes award 2006, in acknowledgement for their great achievement and of their commitment with the values of sport which the National Team has transmitted to society. The International Basketball Federation has named Pau Gasol as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and together with his team-mate Jorge Garbajosa, makes up the five-man squad together with Emanuel Ginóbili (Argentina), Theodoreos Papaloukas (Greece) and Carmelo Anthony (USA). The Basketball Spanish National Team, with its first gold medal in an international championship, reaches the highest victory of its history. Besides, this triumph reflects the exceptional moment of basketball in Spain.