Iran 'put hearts on the court' to win Asian Games basketball bronze

Iran 'put hearts on the court' to win 2026 Asian Games basketball bronze

Iran withstood a late fightback to beat China 79-70 and win Asian Games men's basketball bronze on Sunday, an achievement that left their players "speechless" after months of war back home.

Iran secure Asian Games basketball bronze

They hold off China 79-70 to claim the men’s bronze after a hard-fought campaign

Iran 'put hearts on the court' to win Asian Games basketball bronze

China led 31-29 at half-time in Nagoya, but Iran took charge in the third quarter to lead 55-46 going into the fourth and held on to spark wild celebrations and an emotional place on the podium. "To be honest with you I'm just speechless," said 202cm (6ft 8in) power forward Arsalan Kazemi, who in 2013 was the first Iranian to be drafted in the NBA by the Washington Wizards, but never made a regular season appearance. "The pressure that we had o…