Silver medalists Serbian basketball team received by thousands upon return

Serbian basketball team

Belgrade, Sep 16 (IANS)

Serbian national basketball team that won silver medal at the FIBA Basketball World Cup was welcomed here by tens of thousands of people in front of the City Assembly.

Upon their arrival at the Nikola Tesla Airport here Monday evening, players and coach Aleksandar Djordjevic held a press conference where they expressed their satisfaction with their performance at the championship held in Spain from Aug 30 to Sep 14, despite their defeat in the finals to the US, reports Xinhua.

"I believe that they (players) will be able to fully appreciate this amazing success in 10 or 20 years, because, only then can one realise what a great thing it is to win a silver medal at a championship like this," Djordjevic said.

Captain of the team, Nenad Krstic thanked all his teammates and said the national team had achieved a major thing, while playmaker Milos Teodosic told journalists that the team proved that Serbia is still among the best teams in the world.

Although this is the first medal at the FIBA World Cup for Serbia since it became independent in 2006, it continues upon the tradition of Yugoslavia that won five gold and three silver medals in the tournament's 64-year-long history.

People cheered holding Serbian flags, listening to live music and waiting to greet the team in front of the City Assembly.

Masses shouted names of Serbian players as they appeared one by one at the balcony, together with Djordjevic and staff members.

"We came here to thank you for giving us the strength to bring us all this way," coach Djordjevic told the gathered crowd.