TEHRAN - Iran withstood a late fightback to beat China 79-70 and win the Asian Games men’s basketball bronze.
China led 31-29 at half-time in Nagoya, but Iran took charge in the third quarter to lead 55-46 going into the fourth and held on to prompt wild celebrations and secure a place on the podium on Sunday.
“To be honest with you, I’m just speechless,” said 6ft 8in (203cm) power forward Arsalan Kazemi, who, in 2013, was the first Iranian to be drafted into the NBA by the Washington Wizards but never made a regular-season appearance.
“The pressure that we had on us is just out of this world,” he added.
“Not a lot of athletes can say that, with the way that it has been for almost six months, what we have been through, what our families have been through.”
“I just congratulate the people of Iran because they deserve much better.”
“And I think my teammates and I put our hearts out on the court today just to get this win and make them happy,” Kazemi said.
Teammate Arman Zangeneh said the squad had been through a lot, but it was worth it.
“We had a very tough two months. We went to the Philippines to play the qualifiers, then immediately we came here.”
“It was really difficult. And living in a container, with the food and everything, it was hard, very hard.”
“In the end, we got to the point where we go home with a medal, and it means a lot,” Zangeneh added.