Team Amsterdam wins World Tour Finals: 'Guess I am having fun'
Jesper Jobse watched the World Tour Finals with a big smile on his face. That was not only because Team Amsterdam won the commercial world title, but also because Worthy de Jong said afterwards that fun is the foundation on which success is built. That is exactly what Jobse also emphasizes daily at 3X3 Unites. “When the best 3x3 player in the world says this, it inspires and connects enormously.''
A few minutes after Worthy de Jong secured the commercial world title at the World Tour Finals for Team Amsterdam with his winning two-pointer, the presenter on the court asked how it was possible that he had again managed to decide a final in overtime.
The shot he fired in Hong Kong was almost a copy of the golden shot in Paris, which gave the Netherlands the historic Olympic title. Both times, De Jong rose above himself at the moment when everyone was looking over his shoulder and the pressure was at its highest.
''Guess I am having fun,” were De Jong's revealing words in response to the question of how he manages to do it every time.
That response also put a smile on the face of Jesper Jobse, who believes that everything starts with having fun. At whatever level or wherever you are active.
So it is within 3X3 Unites, where 3x3 basketball is used as a tool so young people can take control of their lives and pursue their dreams. 'Having fun is the basis for being able to inspire others and be successful,' says Jobse. 'We emphasize that at 3X3 Unites as well. First and foremost, you have to enjoy what you do.'
If it were up to Jobse, De Jong's words would work like an echo through within 3X3 Unites and the entire 3x3 community. 'When the best 3x3 player in the world says this, it inspires and connects enormously.'
De Jong is par excellence the personification of what 3x3 stands for: guts, bravado, creativity and fun. 'I hope we realize that there are not many basketball players of this type,' Jobse said. 'Players who are totally in the moment and trust what they can do. Even when the pressure is high.'
In Hong Kong, Team Amsterdam consisted of De Jong, Arvin Slagter, Jan Driessen and Bryan Alberts. In the quarterfinals the foursome cleverly dealt with Serbian UB, the Dutchmen's fearsome opponent. Also in that match, De Jong showed his coolness by scoring a two-pointer in the last second to give Team Amsterdam the victory.
In the semifinals, Team Amsterdam dealt with Raudondvaris from Lithuania. In the final awaited Team Paris, making the final anyway reminiscent of the Olympic final, when France was the Netherlands' opponent and thus many of the same players faced each other again. And just like in Paris, it was again De Jong who claimed the lead role in Hong Kong. So afterwards, he confessed how he had managed that. 'Guess I am having fun.'