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TEHRAN – Iran national basketball team forward Arsalan Kazemi praised his teammates after Iran secured the bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, highlighting the team\u2019s difficult two-month campaign and the numerous injuries they had to overcome.<\/p>\n
Following Iran\u2019s victory over China in the bronze-medal game, Kazemi said the team had been through an extremely demanding period, with several players battling injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m just grateful. We went through two very difficult months,\u201d Kazemi said. \u201cOne thing that perhaps many people don\u2019t know is how many injuries we were dealing with. Ali Sharifi was unable to play, Matin Aghajanpour was suffering from severe back pain, and Peter Girgoorian also played despite an injury. But every player showed tremendous commitment and gave everything on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kazemi admitted he had wanted Iran to beat South Korea in the semifinals and believed the team could have defeated them under different circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really wanted us to beat South Korea. I believe that if we played them again, we could win, but that night simply wasn\u2019t ours,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you make only two of 30 three-point attempts, while your opponents shoot 50 percent from beyond the arc, it\u2019s very difficult to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
The veteran guard also addressed criticism directed at the team and head coach Sotiris Manolopoulos, saying constructive criticism was always welcome but that some of the criticism had been unfair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very open to criticism, as long as it is logical and constructive,\u201d Kazemi said. \u201cWe accept constructive criticism wholeheartedly, but I think some of the criticism we\u2019ve received has not been reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also defended Manolopoulos, urging critics to consider the circumstances surrounding the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people criticize the head coach and say his coaching is not good, they should also look at the circumstances,\u201d Kazemi said. \u201cAs a coach, he gives us all the instructions we need before games and provides the necessary analysis. But once I step onto the court and don\u2019t follow those instructions or the game plan, that is no longer the coach\u2019s responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kazemi said the team had faced significant criticism over the past two years, despite producing positive results at the FIBA Asia Cup and now at the Asian Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor two years, we\u2019ve faced a lot of criticism, and sometimes it has felt like people didn\u2019t want to support this team,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we went to the Asia Cup and achieved a good result, and now, despite all the circumstances and pressure surrounding us, we managed to win a medal here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The physical and emotional demands of the campaign also took their toll, with Kazemi revealing that he had been away from his family for nearly six weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t see my family for almost a month and a half. These things create a lot of pressure and a heavy psychological burden for an athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kazemi was particularly proud that Iran had secured the first medal of the Iranian delegation at the Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very happy that we were able to win the first medal for the Iranian delegation,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course, we wanted s gold or silver, but unfortunately, failed to do that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Kazemi dedicated the bronze medal to the Iranian people and praised his teammates for their resilience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n