Izan Almansa named TISSOT MVP after helping Spain win historic silver medal

“I’m so proud of getting the award. I wasn’t expecting to get it, but for me it means a lot, and it means a lot for my teammates and the work of all the staff and all the coaches. Right now we are sad, but we will think about what we did in the future,” Almansa said.

“Almansa is an amazing kid, amazing worker. He’s trying to do his best all the time,” Spanish coach Javier Zamora said. “The most important thing for the team is the group. He was important in the locker room, on the court, every day. And he’s an example for other guys.”

Almansa was joined on the All-Star Five by the USA duo of Cooper Flagg and Koa Peat, Spanish teammate Lucas Langarita and Ilane Fibleuil of France.

Flagg played a major role in USA winning the Final with 10 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 8 steals and 4 blocks. For the tournament he averaged 9.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. Peat for his part had 3 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in the title game. Over the seven games, he picked up 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest.

Langarita meanwhile collected 11.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game for Spain, and Fibleuil tallied 12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest for France.