Kazemi: Iran basketball deserve recognition after Asian Games bronze

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’s difficult two-month campaign and the numerous injuries they had to overcome.

Following Iran’s victory over China in the bronze-medal game, Kazemi said the team had been through an extremely demanding period, with several players battling injuries.

“Honestly, I’m just grateful. We went through two very difficult months,” Kazemi said. “One thing that perhaps many people don’t 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.”

Kazemi admitted he had wanted Iran to beat South Korea in the semifinals and believed the team could have defeated them under different circumstances.

“I really wanted us to beat South Korea. I believe that if we played them again, we could win, but that night simply wasn’t ours,” he said. “When you make only two of 30 three-point attempts, while your opponents shoot 50 percent from beyond the arc, it’s very difficult to win.”

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.

“I’m very open to criticism, as long as it is logical and constructive,” Kazemi said. “We accept constructive criticism wholeheartedly, but I think some of the criticism we’ve received has not been reasonable.”

He also defended Manolopoulos, urging critics to consider the circumstances surrounding the team.

“When people criticize the head coach and say his coaching is not good, they should also look at the circumstances,” Kazemi said. “As 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’t follow those instructions or the game plan, that is no longer the coach’s responsibility.”

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.

“For two years, we’ve faced a lot of criticism, and sometimes it has felt like people didn’t want to support this team,” he said. “But 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.”

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.

“I didn’t 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.”

Kazemi was particularly proud that Iran had secured the first medal of the Iranian delegation at the Games.

“I’m very happy that we were able to win the first medal for the Iranian delegation,” he said. “Of course, we wanted s gold or silver, but unfortunately, failed to do that,” he added.

Kazemi dedicated the bronze medal to the Iranian people and praised his teammates for their resilience.