Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro has announced that he will retire from international basketball at the conclusion of this summer’s Eurobasket.
It will bring an end to a storied international career, that has seen the 37-year-old win a total of four gold medals, two at junior and two at senior level.
The veteran guard also won four silver medals, two each at Eurobasket and the Olympics plus a bronze at last year’s Rio Games.
Navarro has been a mainstay in the Spanish national team since 1998 when he won gold at the under-18 European Championships. He followed that up with victory in the under-19 FIBA World Cup when Spain beat the USA.
Navarro earned a call-up to the senior team for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and from there, he has appeared in every major tournament for Spain with the exception of Eurobasket 2015, as he was injured.
The finest hour of Navarro’s international career came at Eurobasket 2011 in Lithuania, where he guided Spain to gold and claimed the tournament’s MVP award.
Juan Carlos Navarro following Spain’s win over France in the gold medal game of EuroBasket 2011. Photo: EXPA Pictures © 2011, PhotoCredit: EXPA/ Sportida/ Vid Ponikvar +++++ ATTENTION – OUT OF SLOVENIA/(SLO) +++++
“Navarro is this kind of player, he has these nights where he is kissed from the grace. He’s a masterpiece. It’s like a picture in the Louvre,” Spain Sergio Scariolo told TalkBasket when asked about Navarro following Spain’s semi-final win over FYR of Macedonia in Kaunas.
“He’s unbelievable. He’s one of the best artists. He has his own inspiration. Out of this planet. On his own cloud. He is a joy to have as a person.”
This summer’s Eurobasket will see Navarro hoping to add a final gold medal to his impressive collection of accolades as the museum of La Bomba closes for good in Istanbul.