On Friday, LBS honored the outstanding basketball players of the 2023/2024 season by awarding traditional annual awards in 14 nominations.
National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Porzingis was recognized as the player of the year in the men’s competition.
Among the six nominees were the top scorer of the Latvian national team in the Olympic qualification tournament Rihards Lomažs, NBA player Dāvis Bertāns, Euroleague player Rolands Šmits, Spanish vice-champion Rodions Kurucs, Polish championship player Aigars Škēle.
In all four voter categories, the first place in the history of the basketball of the Baltic States was allocated to Porziņgis, the first NBA champion, who was previously recognized as the Latvian basketball player of the year in 2016 and 2017.
For the third year in a row and for the fourth time in her career (previously also in 2018), Euroleague and Turkish champion Laksa became the basketball player of the year, ahead of Aneta Steinberg, Aleks Gulbi, Ieva Pulveri and Paula Strautmanis.
Raimonds Feldmanis, the head coach of the Latvian 3×3 basketball team, received the award named after Olħerts Altbergs for the coach of the year, who received such an award for the first time after the Olympic triumph in Tokyo in 2021.
Luka Banki, Jānis Gailītis, Mārtiņš Gulbis and Juris Umbraško also applied for the award.
Nauris Miezis, who was one of the best players in the Paris Olympic 3×3 basketball tournament, has been recognized as the 3×3 basketball player of the year.
Marta Leimane, the leader of the Latvian 3×3 basketball team in the U-21 Nations League tournament and the top scorer of the Latvian 3×3 basketball team in the final tournament of the European Championship, became the 3×3 basketball player of the year.
Edijs Šlesers was recognized as the youth coach of the year, who after the victory of the Latvian U-18 national team in the B division of the European Championship in 2023, this year together with the Latvian national team ranked seventh in the European U-16 Championship, which was the best achievement of the Latvian youth teams in 2024. In addition, only for the third time in history, the Latvian cadet team finished the European U-16 Championship with a positive balance of wins and losses.
The Hope of the Year award was given to Louise Anna Silas and Krister Skrind. One of the leaders of the Latvian U-20 national team at the European Championship, Sila has already made her debut in the adult national team.
Skrinda was the leader of the Latvian U-18 national team at the European Junior Championship, averaging 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Mārtiņš Kozlovskis became the judge of the year. In his tenth season as an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) referee, he once again worked in the Champions League final tournament and for the second time officiated the games of the Olympic tournament, including the semi-final match between the USA and Serbia. Kozlovskis also won the award in 2015 and 2021.
Edgars Buļs has been recognized as the manager of the year. Under his leadership, the club “Rīgas zeļļi” was established, which during the first season entered the finals of the Latvian Championship and the “Užava” Latvian Cup. LBS emphasizes original and skillfully adapted ideas for promoting basketball and its club, as well as aggressive and productive marketing.
Zane Rozīte has been recognized as the senior of the year. The co-participant of the last successes of the Riga TTT team and the winner of the Liliana Ronketi European Cup has been actively participating in maxi basketball competitions for more than 20 years, once representing her hometown Cēsis, and for the last ten years – the senior team “Baroneses”. The former world senior champion became the European champion in maxi basketball this year.
The title of the wheelchair basketball player of the year was won by Raimunds Beginskis, the champion of France, a long-time leader of the Latvian wheelchair basketball team, a member of the “All Stars” tournament of the B division of the European Championship.
The basketball promotion project “Her Take” has been recognized as the example of the year. Its authors and participants, Digna Strautmane, Paula Strautmane and Aleksa Gulbe, use their experience gained in Latvian basketball, US universities and foreign clubs, visiting Latvian sports schools and training camps to inspire girls to play basketball, get an education and fulfill their dreams.
The award for initiative of the year has been awarded to the logistics company SIA “Fracht”. It is due for “an original idea and a significant financial investment to supplement the calendar of basketball competitions with a new holiday”. In the Fracht Baltic Cup, after a long break, the elite basketball clubs of Latvia and Lithuania met each other in an important competition.
Mikus Kļaviņš received the annual contribution award. LBS celebrates his original view of basketball and the main characters of the game, his creativity and originality both on the side of the court and behind the scenes, as well as the creation of the photo album “Latvijaaaa”.
The LBS special award for long-term investment in Latvian basketball went to the basketball club “Ventspils”. LBS emphasizes that the club founded 30 years ago has been unique in the Latvian basketball economy with long-term determination and consistency in plans and actions, as well as long-term development despite declines.
“Ventspils” has ten national championship titles, as well as 19 silver and bronze medals, also third place in the FIBA Cup and the Northern European League, the quarter-finals of the ULEB Cup and the championship title in the Baltic League. More than 30 players of the Latvian national team have played in the club, as well as ten coaches.
In three nominations, determining the player of the year in men’s and women’s competitions, as well as the coach of the year, the winners were determined by summing up the results of four votes, taking into account the opinions of fans, mass media representatives, the LBS Coaches Commission and the LBS Board. In other nominations, the opinion of LBS commissions and LBS board was decisive.
Source: www.diena.lv
