Leonel Paulo closes curtains on national team career

MANILA (Philippines) - Leonel Paulo, Angola's captain, has announced his retirement from the national team after the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

The 37-year-old, Luanda-born Paulo had decided to close the curtains on his career with the Angola national basketball team after 16 years of playing for Angola.

"Today I had my last game with a national team jersey."

Paulo played in two FIBA World Cups and one Olympic Games. He also won two FIBA Africa Champions Cup championships in 2006 and 2015, two FIBA Afrobasket championships in 2009 and 2013, and six Angolan League championships in 2006, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2022. He was also named the Angolan League MVP in 2015 and the Angolan League scoring champion in the same year.

In his last game with the national team, Paulo said, "It's gonna be a little bit emotional because this is my last game with the national team. I want to thank to all my people, all the coaches for everything that they did for me. It was not easy. Thank you very much, especially to Will Voigt, who was also my coach. Thank you for everything."

Paulo played in all five of Angola's games in Manila. He averaged 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. However, his impact goes beyond those stats. His experience and leadership as the team's captain were invaluable for his teammates and his coach, Jose Claros Canals.

"Well, first I want to thank Leo. I want to thank Leo for all his dedication, his hard work, his mentality, his desire to give everything on the court and off the court for the others," Canals said after their last game against South Sudan. "Always thinking about the team first, like no one I met before. And I think that he's an example for the others, for all these youngers that they have to learn and follow for the future and try to develop with his mentality, with his way of work and his dedication through the national team."

Paulo's retirement marks the end of an era for Angola basketball, as he was one of the last vestiges of a generation that sustained Angola's status in African and World basketball. However, Angola can rely on its new generation of players to continue its success in the future.

FIBA