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Scola breaks record with Argentina in FIBA Americas Championship 2015

Xinhua, September 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Argentinian Luis Scola will become the player with the most appearances in worldwide tournaments organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas on Wednesday evening.

At 35 years old, the Argentina captain played his 77th game at continental level with his national team on Tuesday against the Dominican Republic. With this appearance he equalled already retired Puerto Rican player Jose Piculin Ortiz.

However, Scola will break this record on Wednesday when Argentina face Mexico, the host country of the pre-Olympic tournament. The game will be the last one in the second stage of the tournament which is taking place in the Mexican capital and will define the semifinal draw.

So far in the tournament Argentina have won in all 10 games they have played.

The power forward has won three bronze medals (Puerto Rico 1999 and 2009, and Caracas 2013); two silver (Puerto Rico 2003 and Las Vegas 2007); and two gold (Neuquen 2001 and Mar del Plata 2011) in FIBA Americas Championships.

Scola, who currently plays for Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and former teammate of Chinese star Yao Ming in the Houston Rockets, was chosen as the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 tournaments.

It is not the first record that Scola broke during the course of the tournament, which will give two teams a place in the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

During the tournament, Scola reached his 140 appearance for Argentina and he became the player who has worn the Argentina shirt the most, overtaking power forward Leo Gutierrez who has appeared 133 times.

Scola has also won a gold medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics and the bronze in Beijing 2008.

The player, along with Luis Nocioni, is the only member of the so-called "Golden Age" that are still part of the national team. Endit