Worthy de Jong walks relaxed to the square where he spent hours practicing throws, tricks and feints as a child. Twatwaplein on Blauwdasstraat in Zuidoost is the place where De Jong looks back on his year. “There are years here,” he says. “This is where the foundation was laid and this is one of the places that has been a pillar in building this.”
Impact
The year 2024 was a great success. Because of the gold medal in Paris, but also because of what happened next. The sport of basketball is on the rise, De Jong also sees. The fact that Cruyff Courts are now being constructed where the focus is not on football, but on a basket, tells him a lot. “That we have made an impact and that we are making progress. That there is growth in our sport.”
The throw that changed everything
And that is partly due to that throw in the final second of the Olympic final. Was he often asked what was going on in his mind at the time? He laughs: “Yes, really often. I get it too. It’s intuitive and you feel the moment. You take the chance, the risk to go for 2 points instead of 1. And it changes everything .”
Surpass
How does De Jong view 2025? Of course, he seems difficult to top last year. “I don’t think it’s about surpassing, I mainly think it’s about continuing to enjoy what you do,” he says. “I think 2025 can be an even better year, if what we have achieved in 2024 will pay off. That we have more courts, that we have more places where children can play basketball.”