Despite being 41 years of age, Luis Scola is ready to go to Tokyo with dreams of winning Olympic Gold once again. The Argentinian star is now 41 years of age but is still playing professional basketball. And it appears as though the Tokyo Olympics could be the final time we see Scola take the court. Regardless of his age, he is still determined to recapture glory with his national team.
In an interview last year, his former teammate and three-time NBA Champion Manu Ginobili spoke about Scola still playing for Argentina in the Olympics. He said that there was almost no chance that Scola wouldn’t play in the Olympics if he had the option. Furthermore, Ginobili was really happy for Scola and wanted him to find joy with the national team at the upcoming tournament.
“You would have to shoot Scola in the head for him not to play in the Olympics. He deserves to end playing with a jersey that gave him so much joy and to which he gave so much joy.”
For Scola, his career has taken him all over the world. After beginning his professional career 26 years ago in Argentina, he made his move to Spain when he was 18 to play for Cabitel Gijon. He then made his move to Saski Baskonia in 2000. In 2002, he declared himself for the NBA Draft and was selected by the San Antonio Spurs. However, complications with his buy-out meant he couldn’t join the league till 2007. When he did enter the NBA in 2007, he played for the Rockets, who had acquired his draft rights. Throughout his NBA career, he went on to play for Houston, Phoenix, Indiana, Toronto, and the Nets. After leaving the league in 2017, he’s had stints in China and Italy, where he still plays today.
Without a doubt, Scola’s biggest achievement in his long career is the gold medal with Argentina in the Olympics. Could he help lead the nation back to that stage before he calls time in his career?
