Basketball national coach Gordon Herbert delivered one of the biggest goosebumps moments of this sporting year. Now he looks back on the scene with a surprising anecdote.
It’s probably the sports photo of the year, maybe even of the past few years. Basketball national coach Gordon Herbert sits on the floor completely knocked out and emotional, leaning against the wall, wiping tears from his eyes and staring at the floor. His team has just won the World Cup title, completely unexpectedly. A sensation worthy of the name. He just sits there for minutes. The photo goes around the world. Viral, as they say.
Fans were afraid for Gordon Herbert
Herbert no longer knows what thoughts were running through his head at that moment, as he explained in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
“All I remember is that the game was suddenly over. We were world champions and I ran across the field and hugged my players. I had to somehow come to terms with what had just happened. So I looked for a chair, but there wasn’t one “I just sat down on the nearest wall,” said the 64-year-old.
What he still remembers: Some fans misinterpreted the scene and were afraid for him – one suddenly wanted to call an emergency doctor. “He thought I had a heart attack and was about to die,” says Herbert, laughing.
But fortunately the national coach was fine. After the short emo break, he got up again and celebrated the title with the team.
He only recently received a photo of the moment. His plan: He wants to hang it in his summer house in Finland, next to the gold medal and other photos of his players at the World Cup tournament.
Photo of the argument with Schröder gets a special place
Curious: Herbert also wants to hang up a photo of his “legendary” argument with Dennis Schröder. In the group game against Slovenia, the coach and his captain clashed violently. Herbert shouted at Schröder, who rushed back loudly. In the end everything was fine again. According to Herbert, the Zoff was a key scene for the rest of the tournament.
“The way we handled it showed me what kind of team we have. At the time we were down by five points, but in the end we won by 29 points. I knew then: This could be something very special.”